The Grey
by ThatSithLady
Summary: Sidious, The dark Lord of the Sith has his plan in motion. Eiana Palpatine has lived a lonely, isolated, life, raised and trained as a tool to serve a dark purpose. Tragedy strikes and sends Ana's world into darkness when Lord Maul fails his mission on Naboo against the Jedi, Obi-Wan Kenobi.
1. The Assassin and The Grey

**Coruscant**

 **33 BBY**

The journey back from Nar Shaddaa subsequent to his little excursion had done nothing to satiate his appetite, nor helped to curb the adrenaline that still coursed through his body after the altercation with the young and courageous Jedi Padawan, Eldra Kaitis.

If anything the brief meeting with his master had only encouraged his bloodlust and quenchless thirst for revenge against the Jedi order.

He emerged from the subterranean catacombs and let himself into his chambers in the long since deserted LiMerge building. Darth Maul took a deep breath and allowed the tension to drop away as the disguised door sealed behind him.

Mauls sanctum was dimly lighted and permanently so, this was the only place he allowed himself to relax completely.

The area was a large expanse and consisted of a small contained living area, a large training room and an equally sizable workshop. The living area contained very little and was sparsely furnished. Several relics littered the shelving unit along with trophies from old kills. He reached inside his cloak and found the shattered pieces of Eldras lightsaber, withdrawing them he dwelt on the shards a moment before placing them gently on the shelf.

Eldra had fought valiantly and that merited not only a painless death, but also a moment of his respect.

All the while he could not help but wonder, what if? What if he had been able to turn the young Twi'lek to the dark side of the force? The prospect made his mind run wild with theorized possibilities. Did he even need a master any longer? And more importantly, was he ready to discard the shackles of initiate to become the master?

Mauls shoulders tensed as he felt her approach, the hidden entrance slid open once more. His master was testing him yet again, could he not have a moments peace?

"What do you want?"

He hissed as he turned to face her. Her youthful face remained calm and composed, she was not afraid of him, she had, after all, her fathers protection. Maul could not touch her. Or could he? He had not been punished at all for his hunting trip, his master had been somewhat pleased with his success.

"Papa commanded I bring you a meal and tend your wounds."

She replied evenly not breaking contact with his eyes. Her wide silver irises sparkled as she spoke but her aura showed her displeasure at being treated so.

"I can do that myself."

He spat back angrily he felt the rage spilling into his eyes as they blazed at her like twin suns.

"I'm sure that you can, none the less it is what our master demands."

She came close to him and shoved the flask into his gloved hands before setting down the medical supply case on the table with a thud and unfastening the clasps.

"Eat first."

She commanded as she began to prepare her work space. Maul glowered on the outside, but the inside, that was an arcane storm of anger.

"Do try and calm yourself." she sighed "I don't want to be here anymore than you want me here."

She set out a row of hypodermics and tore the wrappers on each sterile cloth with her teeth. Ever emotionless Eiana Palpatine finally displayed some vexation. He had known this girl as long as he had been living on Coruscant. Like himself she was a tool of their master, her father. But that was where their similarities ended.

Maul was full of rage and hatred where Ana was full of the force itself. He was trained to pull his power from the dark side. Ana had been trained to be the balance between the light and the dark, all the better to see what the enemy was planing his master had assured him.

She was gifted with foresight like the witches she descended from and command of the force like her father. She carried no weapons and needed no combat training, her place was to be here, in the heart of politics advising their master on all she foresaw while he carried out the plan.

Maul ignored her dictation and tossed the flask aside before removing his gloves, cloak, boots and tunic. He seated himself on the lounge and picked up a data-pad completely disregarding her.

Ana breathed a sigh of exasperation before perching beside him and beginning to clean the saber slash down his chest. It stung but he was barely aware of it. Zabraks were far more tolerant to pain than humans, it was but an insect bite to his senses.

What he was all of a sudden aware of was her soft breath against his hot skin, it was warm and smelled of sweet wine. He clenched his jaw refusing the thoughts in his mind. He averted them and focused on the memory of the young Jedi, the feelings the duel evoked in him, and the thrill it was to strike her down. Nothing was helping distract him.

Anas raven hair, though tied back from her face brushed his forearm as she worked, her forehead peppered with pigmentation spots was creased in deep concentration. Her snub upturned nose crinkled as she focused on removing foreign objects from his wound. She placed a small and soft hand on his forearm and pushed it down and out of the way, trying to gain better access to his chest.

He grunted his annoyance and shifted the data-pad to his right hand, dropping his left arm so she need not touch it again.

"Do grow up."

She fired her words at him with a frown as she turned back to the supplies spread across his table, he was riled trying desperately to stifle the rage that had boiled up to his clavicle now. His twin hearts pumped overtime.

She turned back to face him and was seemingly wholly oblivious to his anger as she injected the antibiotic hypodermic under his skin.

"Why do you not fear me?"

He finally asked setting the data-pad down beside him. She looked up into his eyes questioningly as she dabbed fresh blood away from the injection site and laughed softly before responding.

"Why would I fear you Lord Maul? We both serve the same cause."

She turned again to discard the bloodied rag and as she came back around his left hand wrapped around her throat faster than she could blink, squeezing just tight enough to restrict her breathing.

Her eyes remained unchanged, he could not feel even the faintest trace of fear in her. He pulled her close to his face never breaking gaze.

"You should fear me underling."

He hissed as he released her. She acted as though nothing had happened and carried on with her work.

When she was done bandaging him she began to collect her things together and threw her cloak over her slim shoulders. Pulling the hood over her head she pivoted back on her heel to look at him.

"I am not your underling, assassin. You should know by now that I see inside your mind and you would do well to show me respect with the secrets in that horned head of yours. I am your equal, do not forget it."

Her silver eyes suddenly seemed to smolder like embers in the blackest of nights for the shortest of moments before she left the chamber.

How much had she seen? Fear overtook him as he buried his face in his hands, the woman was intolerable.

* * *

Ana stood beside her father facing out of the office window of the senators apartment near the top of the 500 Republica. The view overlooking the planet city was striking but it stirred nothing in her, all that existed here was waste and corruption.

"How much longer do you expect it will be before we confront them Papa?"

Her gaze grimly fixated on the Jedi temple sitting peacefully and unassuming in the distance.

"The time will be right soon daughter."

He took a seat behind the desk and flicked through messages on his display panel. Sheev was as barren of emotion as she was, and the only being whose mind she could not he could not read hers.

The Papa-Daughter routine was just that, a routine, There had never been an iota of paternal feeling there for her nor was there any love that a natural daughter would bear for her father for him. Both her and Maul were raised by droids on secluded out of the way worlds to prevent human attachments forming that might distract them from their individual duties.

Thinking of Maul she remembered what she had seen in his mind before she had entered his chambers not two hours earlier. Did he really mean what he thought? Would he really try and overthrow their master? Ana almost opened her mouth to speak but for reasons she did not understand her mouth clamped shut and she remained silent.

"Was there something you needed to tell me?"

His blue eyes stared directly at her his face set in stone as he questioned her, almost as though he knew she was hiding something. Steadying herself in the force she replied sedately,

"No Papa, if you need nothing else from me I will retire."

He simply waved his hand at her in dismissal and continued with his work.

Her bed chamber was only a floor below the reception level but as she entered the private service lift she found her hand hovering over the ground level option on the touch-pad. She bit her lip hard and set the lift to descend one level only.

Ana found herself comparing her surroundings to Mauls as she entered her rooms. They were sumptuous and homely, full of modern comforts and beautiful art. None of which was to her taste but all her fathers decor.

Nothing here brought her any pleasure, she dwelt on her loneliness all to often feeling like a caged animal in this facade of a life, never allowed to leave. She wished she had the freedom Maul possessed.

Shrugging out of her cloak and peeling off her bodysuit she slipped into a loose gown and made herself comfortable at the foot of her bed. Cross legged and arms relaxed she allowed the force to move through her, reaching, seeing, perceiving. If she wanted to Ana could read the thoughts of every person in the tower, Monstrosity of architecture that it was.

There was only one person in her thoughts and she could not shake him. She could still feel his fingers around her throat now, dangerous, powerful and compelling yet far more intelligent and passionate than she had ever begun to imagine he could be.

She found his presence in her lucid state, he felt cold and distant, none to pleased to feel her probing.

 _"_ _I didn't tell him, if that helps you sleep easier."_

 _S_ he assured him, fingers reaching out to touch his shoulder. His presence shrugged away from her,

There was no reply, she had not expected one. But her mind showed him to her, sitting just as she was. His muscular tattooed legs folded, hands relaxed on his knees, seated on his own bed in meditation. His face showed relief even if he did not intend for her to see it.

Ana forced her eyes open, severing the bond and took a moment to catch her breath before peeling back the covers and crawling into bed. She knew well that little sleep would come tonight.

* * *

Broken sleep and haunted dreams were all Ana found that night. She rose early and meditated again as she was accustomed to doing for most of her day. After a small meal she sat in her room practicing her calligraphy, an ancient art form and one thing she truly enjoyed. Reference books lay scattered all over the desk, various quills and pots of different inks lined up within easy reach to her right and rolls of parchment stacked to her left. The smell of paper was a small joy and black ink stained her fingers.

Her focus was interrupted by her own name, Feeling more than hearing her fathers call she abandoned her work and proceeded up level to find him.

"Papa? You wanted something?"

He held his hand up indicating to her to stop talking as he finished his conversation with the flat faced Neimoidian slime in the hologram before him.

As the image faded she waited patiently for Sheev to speak, hands tucked inside her sleeves, head bowed. He made her wait what seemed an eternity.

"Go to Maul, I need you to teach him how to hide his force signature before this boycott, I have no doubt the Jedi will become involved and I need him ready."

He didn't even look at her when he spoke just carried on reading. She shifted her weight and cleared her throat before replying.

"If I may, Papa, I don't think he will be interested in anything I have to teach him. Maul does not have respect for me or my abilities."

"Then you will make him respect you Eiana, I have no time for childish bickering, too much is at stake."

He stared at her long and hard. "Just do as I bid, prove my faith in you is not misplaced."

"Yes Papa, as you wish."

This was not how she wanted to spend her day, Teaching an arrogant and over confidant being command of a force. A force that he in his own mind already believed he had command of. She would be angry but anger was not in her nature.

* * *

The private turbo lift took her below the surface for a second time in as many days. She hated it here, the 500 Republica, the City planet, all of it. She wanted to feel dirt beneath her feet and clean air on her face. Coruscant was filth.

Her steps took her forward unwillingly through the labyrinth of passageways and down perilous flights of stairs all heading towards the LiMerge. No one ever came here, the area was heavily guarded by an intricate circuit of security systems, and the guard dog himself.

She drew on the force gathering it all around her like a shield, She could feel it wrapping her up in it's embrace. She could feel his darkness, but he would not feel her.

Ana found herself in the open doorway to the training area, and there he was. Slashing, spinning and kicking at training droids. It was truly a masterpiece to watch him at work. If the force was her arena this most certainly was Mauls. The darkness enveloped him as he trained, it flowed with him like a deadly river that would carry anyone else away. Yet he was the current, fluid and virulent.

He did not notice her watching and carried on with his dance until all the droids lay arcing on the ferrocrete floor. His saber extinguished and he rested on his knees a moment wiping sweat from his brow.

Ana moved forward and clapped her hands together just once. Startled at the sound he jumped to his feet and spun to face her as she clapped her hands together again and one final time before dropping them to her sides.

His face contorted, bewildered, and rightfully so, he still could not feel her.

"Why the confusion My Lord?"

She tilted her head to one side with a small smile quirking at her lips. His thumb hovered over the ignition knob on his saber as she moved closer still.

"Tut-tut. You don't want to do that Maul, whatever would our master have to say? He did after all send me here today."

"Why can't I feel you?"

he growled and she only smiled in response

"That, Maul, is why I am here."

She reached suddenly and snatched the saber from his hand.

"You won't be needing that for this lesson."

* * *

"This is pointless"

Maul hissed. She could feel him glaring at her still cross legged figure in contempt. Her eyes remained sedately closed as he sprang to his feet and stalked around her. His frustration was quite an overwhelming feeling, it oozed off of him filling the area in an oppressing thick asphyxiation of emotion.

"Do you even see a thing?"

He snarled hunkered down before her. There was no reply from her, only succeeding in deepening his anger.

Her freckled forehead creased and her face contorted slightly as she reached deep into the force to find some foretelling for him.

"I see a spider"

she murmured

"A spider in your future."

His hand swung back and clapped soundly across her face on its return.

"You are nothing more than a glorified fortune teller, bog witch. Tell me, daughter of the Sith, why oh why did your father let you live? If you were of my loins I would have left you where you fell in the birthing hut."

His disdain for her had never been more clear, his words struck her like red hot daggers. Her eyes blinked awake at his vile diatribe, pupils icy enough to make mere beings shiver, but not the Dathomirian.

"Sit, Lord Maul. This is at my fathers bequest or I would not waste my time on the likes of you."

Her voice was void of all feeling, she discarded the childlike emotions of hurt that threatened to rise in her.

"Stupid little girl, you have no fire, no passion. Only control, you may as well be Jedi scum."

He spat the diminutive insult as he forced himself to fall to his knees before her.

His rage was barely under his control, he was an animal with primal instincts that could not be tamed. She did not know how her father expected her to work with this brute. It was his frustration, his fear of failing this task, that drove his wrath and hatred towards her.

Yet she would not neglect her own undertaking, If their master demanded her to earn Mauls respect she would not disappoint him.

* * *

Lashing out suddenly Maul gripped her slender ashen throat.

"How can you serve our lord completely without the burning rage within you? I think it's time I gave you some incentive to our cause."

He grinned wickedly. His one hand remained tightly on her neck but still he did not sense fear, She felt like an empty space in the force.

He shoved her backward so hard her head hit the floor. He could smell her blood as it began to trickle from her mouth where she had bitten her lip on the impact. He dove in to taste it, his true carnivorous nature showing before his teeth found their way her throat.

Stunned she did not move as Mauls free hand tore at her shirt then coming to the reality of her situation her eyes suddenly appeared black and wild and her force shield dropped.

"No!"

She screamed in his ear as she attempted to push him away. Her aura turned dark, he could smell her fear filling the room. Gone was the always calm young woman, gone was the force dreamer. In her place was a terrified little girl trying desperately to protect herself.

His wild golden eyes met her terrified silver ones. Maul could feel her clutching for her composure, mortified at her own lack of control in this moment. Her palms planted firmly against his chest when suddenly he found himself flying backwards and hitting the wall on the opposite side of the room, the impact knocking all of the air from his copious lungs.

Maul felt her draw in the darkness surrounding them and with outstretched hands white light arced from her fingertips, dancing across the room and striking him in the chest in a searing galvanic onslaught. It ceased just as quickly as it had started and she raised her left hand, him along with it.

Mauls entire chest cavity felt tight in her grasp as her right fist clenched into a fist, his body paralyzed by the power she exerted over him. In one deft movement she cast him down to the ground in front of her both her hands faced palms down to the ferrocrete now, keeping him there.

Maul writhed shamefully a moment at her feet before forcing himself up onto his hands and knees fighting through the force holding him down. She crouched before him and gripped his chin between long slender fingers and thumb.

"You will never touch me with such notions in your head again, do you understand?"

He glared infuriated, but that was all he could do.

His body was fatigued, his mind unable to form cohesive thoughts. Her silver eyes were so very deep, an infinite metallic pool and he was drowning in them. Abruptly her irises smoldered red again as he had witnessed the night prior. The last thing he remembered was her soft rosy lips meeting his before everything turned to darkness.

* * *

Passion breeds strength.

Sheev took a sip from his teacup and wondered how Eiana was handling his apprentice, enraged animal that he was. He had no doubt that she would hold her own against him if it came to it, but would she be able to teach him anything?

His own master had tried to warn him that pairing the two together was a dangerous game, but what did Plagueis cognize about his pawns that he did not?

The Assassin and The Grey were both adept and highly disciplined in their respective areas, and to add to that, both were unwaveringly loyal to him and him alone.

It was axiomatic they detested one another. There was no risk, in his eyes, of a coupling that would prove any danger to his authority. Instruments was all they were, under his rule.

Besides this, Plagueis would not remain an issue for very much longer if all went according to Sheevs designs.

As if his speculating on the matter had somehow called for her, his daughter entered the library, bowing deeply and demurely before him. Her face was calm though her body seemed weary. Her rich zyed cloak wrapped around her brushing the comfortable crimson carpet as she walked.

"Well? Tell me, were you successful?"

He asked leveling his piercing gaze upon her composed countenance, The young woman made direct eye contact and answered him unwaveringly.

"I believe I have gained the assassins respect Papa. However, I did not teach him more than that today. He was left somewhat incapacitated Father. He is,"

The young woman paused a moment,

"Sleeping."

Her voice trailed off and she seemed to be pressing her lips together to hide an almost exultant smile.

"Very good."

Sheev only smiled

"I knew my faith in you was well grounded."

He rose and rounded the desk to meet her. Taking both her hands in his own emulating a false warmth he told her of the great pride he had in her and how impressed he was in her skill before he sent her away.

"All to easy."

He told himself smugly before returning to his books.

* * *

She rubbed her temples, trying to erase the incessant pain that kept returning to them as she tried to enjoy the bath her body was submerged in. The water was now tepid and the fragrant oils had all but evaporated away.

Tiredness was likely to blame Ana thought as she stifled a yawn and drew herself from the tub, It had been an exhausting day. Reaching out and pulling a robe to her she slid into it and snuffed out the candles that surrounded the bath before retreating to the bedchamber.

Part of her was afraid of her thoughts and the outlandish idea that had sprung to her mind after hearing Mauls own internal contemplation. Another part of her was resolute to see this through.

Swaying Mauls allegiance would be no easy feat, but it was by no means an impossible task. If she had indeed earned his respect tonight the rest would fall into place quite simply, It was all a matter of patience and out witting Sidious. She felt quite confidant in her ability to do this. She was after all his kin and his intellect had been passed down.

Ana paused to reflect on her image in the ornate mirror suspended from the wall, appearance alone would not be enough to win Mauls heart and mind, but it wouldn't do any harm either. She tousled her dark tresses the ends of which were wet from her soak. Her cheeks were still flushed from the heat.

She was not what one would call well experienced with the opposite sex, in fact she had only shared the intimate company of one man before and the occurrence still left her confused to this day.

The Alderaanian Representative Bail Organa had been fascinated with her, so much so she had found herself completely overwhelmed and terrified her father would discover her rendezvouses.

She had used the force to gently dissuade him while encouraging him to pursue a lady of his own system rather than herself.

She tried to avoid him now, Ana couldn't quite face up to the feelings she tried to suppress. Such emotions were strange to experience, it was far easier to scrutinize them from a distance. She turned away from her sad reflection and made her way to bed.

Sleep was what she needed most of all now, she would start a new day afresh with a clear mind and for the first time a sense of purpose and plan all her own.

* * *

Maul awoke some hours later from a deep and dreamless sleep. His body ached and a jolt of pain seemed to strike his brain as he came into an upright position. The feeling was all too familiar and not an entirely unwelcome sensation.

For his pain triggered an intense feeling of rage, ignited by his fear and transformed into something more tangible. Passion.

Passion he could use, wielded as a weapon to vanquish all foes. But there was something else, a feeling he wasn't familiar with at all. A burning desire to possess, a fire taking hold somewhere deep inside of him, something primordial and savage.

Lust.

Angry though he was, and humiliated by her complete dominance of him, he could not shake the desire radiating from some place unknown. The want to possess something, or someone, had never driven him before. Yet now he felt like this notion could lead him astray from the path that he had followed his entire life.

Maul gripped the bedclothes with both fists, clenching so tight and so hard his fingernails left indentations in his palms. His teeth ground against each other noisily, this point in time seemed to last an eternity.

This was a game, another test from his master. He would hold firm in his resolve. He would remain a loyal servant. She would not prove him weak again.

Maul slid off the bed and fell to his knees on the floor relaxing into a deep meditation, steeling himself against the barrage of his own crude emotions, smothering them out. He would not succumb to this.

* * *

Her beauty was peculiar and in his sentiment unparallelled, As a fellow Dathomiri he found her more delightful to look at than any other female he had spent time with, And this vexed him greatly.

Maul did not want these feelings. But he found himself studying the generous dusting of freckles, long black curls gathered back away from her face, her tall slight frame with full hips, revealed now she had removed her cloak.

The girls height matched his own and her soft curves drew him in, an unwilling victim to the magnetism that was her appearance. But more than that it was her brilliant mind Maul found himself gravitating to.

She had commanded his respect and now her gentleness held him almost under a magick spell as she guided him in the clandestine knowledge she had acquired from their master.

It had been two standard days since she had humbled him so decidedly and frustratingly she had never, at any time since reached out to him.

He was partially relieved, maybe this was not a trial after all. And then a small part of him ached with disappointment, secret hopes he never knew he had were dashed he found himself wishing she had tried to reach out to him once more. He found his body and mind willing her to contact him in some way, however small that might be.

His attitude to his lessons with her had changed completely, he was both subservient and quiet letting her guide him with her intricate knowledge of the force. Maul had decided it was one of the hardest things he had ever necessarily accomplished, submitting to her teachings. When only few days prior he had viewed her as a faint and tenuous being, inferior to him.

All was still and very quiet and he felt her watching him, Ana simply stared.

"Why are you not trying?"

She asked her arms folded over her chest, eyes fixed on him critically studying his face. He almost smiled back.

"No more trying today my lady, we've been here for hours."

Maul shook the cricks out of his neck and rose to his feet.

"Can I get you something to drink?"

He gazed down on her as he uttered foreign words of thoughtfulness. She looked shocked that he would offer, taken aback searching for words her jaw slack.

He did smile this time, somewhat gracelessly, a smile did not come naturally to the Sith Lord.

"Only water."

He assured, offering her a tumbler and she took it nodding her thanks.

"I have only ever shown you contempt and rage, yet still you feel nothing."

He lowered himself down beside her on the edge of the dais she sat upon.

"How is it you have so much control of your emotions, yet you harness such power?"

He questioned her taking her now empty vessel and placing it on the floor.

"There are many differences between you and I."

Was he only answer she offered her eyes glazed over in deep thought.

He felt awkward in her silence even for a man of few words. He found himself holding his breath waiting for her to verbalize whatever it was she was conjuring in her mind, awaiting that soft voice that held so much resolve and conviction whenever she spoke.

But what he really wanted to know was if the faint memory he recalled was fact or something his mind had fooled him into believing in some cruel jest.

"Did you kiss me? Two nights ago after..."

He trailed off ashamed of what came next. A _fter I lost control, after I hurt you._ The words reverberated about his skull filling him with disgrace, he may be a dark Lord of the Sith, but he could still have honor in the path that he traveled.

She remained unmoving, head bowed and eyes closed. Was she purposefully ignoring him or too distressed to answer? He touched her shoulder while gathering the force and probing to see what she was feeling.

"I did."

She finally replied

"I don't know why, I don't understand why I would."

She stared again, unblinking her eyes appeared as two full moons on a night sky eclipsed by black holes.

"I wasn't myself."

She shook her head beginning to rise from the meditation platform. All he felt was pain radiating off of her, she was trying to escape it. His hand shot out and he gripped her wrist.

"Stay with me."

he blurted the words hoarsely, he wasn't asking her, he was imploring her. He felt his brow furrow and his eyes appealed silently.

Two solitary souls wandering the universe, neither of them had to be alone. Loosening his grip he took her other hand.

"Stay."

He whispered pressing her fingers to his lips

"Don't leave me."

* * *

"Just give in Ana"

He whispered grasping her wrist again and pulling her up against him.

"Do you know what we could be? Do you know how powerful we could become? Together, not apart. Your knowledge, my skill, we would be an unstoppable force."

He pressed his tattooed lips against hers biting down softly.

She felt a small stirring within her. This was what she planned, this was her design she affirmed herself, She was still in control here and she would not let that control slip through her fingers and into his iron fist.

"Yes"

She whispered her words barely audible, looking up at him as he loosened his tunic and discarded it behind him.

"I can feel your rage fighting to meet mine Ana, don't deny it any longer."

Maul took her wrists and lifted them above her head, pinning her down kissing and biting down her neck.

"Your father does not care for you Eiana Palpatine."

He breathed huskily in her ear now.

"You are a tool, his pawn, as am I. I am all you have. The only one you will ever have this chance with."

Their eyes met in the weak light for a long moment, His fiery depths begged of her now, moving her in ways she had never known.

She let her presence began to spiral around him like a sandstorm of hate and fear. In those moments of turmoil the realization dawned.

While he was falling for her plan, she was falling for his intentions. Both wanted a culmination of the same events. With their masters eventual downfall they would take his place, together, as equals.

In a quick and fluid motion her legs wrapped around his hips and her mouth met his. Mauls lust that had become familiar over the past few days boiled up again but there was no stamping it out this time.

Finally she could feel her passion, a climax of anger, hate and fear all meeting at a juncture with a singular intent.

She was no longer a pliable servant, but instead she now relished the visions of the powerful pair she subconsciously always knew they would become.


	2. The Balance

**Chapter Two**

 **The Balance**

The days were long and the nights even longer without him by her side. Ana laid awake at night her mind forced by nightmares into a state of unrest, at least she hoped they were dreams and not harbingers of events yet to transpire.

The closeness that had grown between the two over the months was astounding to her for such a short span of time and the bond powerful for a pair who disagreed on so many things.

She had continued to share her knowledge of the force with him and in return, Maul had begun teaching her how to spar with practice sabers in his spare time.

Maul's mission to infiltrate the space station prison Cog Hive Seven in the Tharin sector had not been easy for her to accept with the progression of their relationship. Naturally, the male had taken to his task with great pleasure, Maul lived to serve the darkness and that still, for now at least, included her father's fiat.

She could not, however, shake the sense of concern for his welfare as she watched live HoloVids of the fights when alone in her rooms. Such carnage and destruction of life had never been laid before her eyes, and to see it performed by the man she had given herself to made her question her very sanity.

The data-pad bleeped prompting her she needed to be present with her father at a Senate session and she hastily stowed the holo viewer away in the trunk at her bed's end.

Dressing hurriedly in a plain bodysuit adorned with guild trimmed neckline and flowing mesh cape she jammed her feet into matching, soft synth-leather heels and began to fix her hair in the oversized vanity mirror.

The rouge she rubbed into her cheeks seemed absurd to her eyes but her father would not have her image be a poor reflection on his status. She coloured her lips with a scarlet pencil and studied her reflection, Her hair lifted from her shoulders and stacked high upon her crown may look to some stylish. But she grimaced in discomfort as the fixtures prodded her scalp. Ridiculous. Yet it was acceptable for the occasion.

She sighed internally as a protocol droid entered to hurry her along and swiftly rising from her seat she joined her father up a level.

* * *

The ride from the 500 Republica to the Senate Rotunda was short and uneventful and the session of Senate itself as dull as ever. She found herself wondering if after enough discussion about trade route taxation a being could lull off to sleep. Her father had stolen several displeased glances at her during the session, and Ana tried to hide her exhaustion.

She had nodded her thanks to the senate guard who helped her from the delegate platform as court adjourned for the midday break and found herself face to face with the one person she had intended to avoid if she could.

Bail Organa smiled warmly and greeted both her and Sheev with familiarity. Ana stayed quiet as her father and the representative exchanged pleasantries and fleetingly discussed the session of Congress. Her eyes darted about looking for anybody she could excuse herself to speak with but she did not see anyone she knew well enough to release herself from the conversation. Presently Bail turned to her.

"Would you walk with me, my Lady?"

He extended a hand to her and she looked to Sheev praying he would steal her away. Her father only nodded declaring he needed to speak to someone before leaving the pair alone. Ana bit her lip anxiously and took Bails waiting arm, the pair walked in quiet but for all the hustle and bustle of the members of Congress going about their daily business.

"Shall we go outdoors?"

Bail queried her glancing towards the expansive main entrance doors.

"It is a glorious day and I fancy some sunshine."

He looked down at her smiling. Such warmth was not commonplace in her life and each time he presented her with it, it made her more than a little uncomfortable.

"I'd like that,"

she admitted quickly not needing to dwell on it.

"I don't see enough daylight on Coruscant."

"Why do you stay here, Would you not prefer it on Naboo?"

Oh how she would rather live on her father's homeworld, But he would never sanction it. She only smiled lamentably back at him

"Papa thinks he needs me here."

Bail laughed aloud and spread his arms expressively.

"You hate politics, I witnessed you almost fall asleep in there today."

He could barely contain himself. It had been far too long since she had been in the presence of genuine happiness, it was rather contagious and she felt a smile spreading across her all too often sad face.

"There it is," he reached up suddenly and touched her cheek fondly "I have missed that smile."

Ana lowered her gaze and avoided his eyes. She searched her mind for an answer that would shift the conversation from herself.

"When is the wedding?"

The abrupt change in topic killed all smiles. She could have slapped herself for her choice in subject, _how stupid could you be?_ She asked herself savagely.

"Nothing is set in stone yet Lady Palpatine."

He looked uncomfortable now,

"The Princess Breha is a wonderful woman, and I a very lucky man if she does choose me."

Ana smiled somewhat tightly and apologetically up at him for exposing him to such discomfort.

"You deserve happiness Bail, that is something I could never have given you."

Bail helped her down the steps in front of the Rotunda and they continued to walk around the cardinal building at a slow pace.

They made idle discourse about the weather, HoloNews and Bails family. Ana loved to hear tales of his sisters, she had often wished she had siblings of her own, A real family.

As they came back around to the Senate entrance she could feel Bails disappointment, She too wished they could keep walking if only to avoid returning to session. He escorted her back to the Naboo delegation booth and kissed her hand.

"Thank you Lady Palpatine, I must return, Senator Antillies will be wondering where I am. I hope to see you again soon my Lady."

He inclined slightly and left her alone.

She re-entered the hover platform and took her seat waiting for her father and the call to order.

* * *

Ana managed to make it through the afternoon with her eyes remaining open, though she sat in a stony silence not absorbing much.

Sheev had nothing to say to her on the trip back to the apartment, As the speeder docked he informed her Senator Antillies and Bail Organa would be joining them for supper.

"Why Papa?"

He only stared at her for the longest of moments.

"Political allies are important Eiana, and Organa is rather fond of you."

"He is to be married-"

He stopped her protest with one hand raised, silencing her with nothing but the gesture.

"Do you think that a possible engagement matters?"

"When it is a woman who will be his Queen one day, of course it matters. Bail is an honourable man, He would never do anything to tarnish his reputation."

Sheevs smile was positively immoral.

"Then why did he take you to his bed, not a year past?"

Ana seethed, her heart pounding fast and hard in her ears and her hands balled into fists

"So honourable, so chivalrous."

Her father finished as he began to walk away. She felt stupid, _silly little fool!_ She shouted internally at herself. She did not know how he had found out of her relationship with Bail, but she would be sure to not make the same mistakes with Maul.

* * *

Bail presented her a solitary rominaria blossom as she greeted them in the foyer to the Palpatine apartment, the sweet fragrant bloom had been grown here on Coruscant by HydroCore industries but it was native to Naboo. He had even gone to find it himself after Congress had adjourned for the night rather than sending an aide.

Antillies had poked fun at him all evening as the lone flower sat on the table between them while they enjoyed a few ales. But he now remained silent when he finally met the young woman with moons in her eyes and hair as black as the darkest winter night sky in the mountains back home on Alderaan.

Dathomiri were not a species often seen on Coruscant, Humans were everywhere Bail had even met a few Zabrak but a hybrid of the two was a rare sight off of their homeworld.

Eiana did not speak of her mother except to tell him she had died birthing her and Senator Palpatine had avoided the subject altogether, even seeming pained often when he talked of his daughter.

Bail could only assume the mother was of low standing and in Noble circles, not someone to be spoken of.

"Please, I will take you to Papa."

Eiana smiled and waved them inside holding the blossom to her retrousse nose. Following behind them she stopped the shiny chrome protocol droid just inside the doorway.

"Find a vase for this and have it placed in the reception room please."

"Of course My Lady, at once"

the droid whirred as it waddled away.

"Come, come"

She encouraged, her eyes shining as she led them down the passage and taking a left turn through glass doorways into a richly decorated reception area. The Naboo Senator quickly rose from the couch to greet them.

"Sheev, thank you again for inviting us."

Antillies grasped his hand firmly and giving a quick shake.

"It is my pleasure to host you, gentlemen."

The elder man smiled widely

"Please, take a seat. Supper shouldn't be long now, can I interest you in a drink?"

Antillies naturally leaped at the chance, he was always interested in a drink.

"No, thank you Sheev, I have had enough already tonight."

Bail politely declined his offer and from the corner of his eye spotted Eiana swigging from the bottle of no doubt potent Naboo liquor before she placed it on a serving tray with several tumblers before setting it down on the low table courted by couches.

The group sat in cheery conversation and good company, The usually quiet Eiana was warm, bubbly and full of things to talk about. Bail found it unusual but not unwelcome though he suspected the alcohol had something to do with the loosening of her tongue.

Supper had been delectable and dessert even more so followed by a rich glass of well-aged Naboo red wine which, he did partake in.

Given this particular bottles vintage of 96 standard years, it would have been rude not to sample it.

Eiana had excused herself and exited the dining room onto the balcony for some air when Antillies had asked her father if she was alright. Bail quickly stood and held a hand up to stop either of the pair rising.

"I will check on her gentlemen."

"Of course, you are a good friend to her Bail, I know she cherishes your friendship."

Palpatine seemed grateful that he would intervene in this instance. Perhaps, Bail wondered, playing father to this headstrong young woman was not always the perfect picture the pair portrayed to the public.

* * *

Ana didn't look up as Bail neared her, her gaze remained firmly fixed on the air traffic many, many stories below them. He rested his hands on the railing beside her and let it take his weight.

"Are you alright My Lady?" She tried to swallow the lump in her throat away but it simply refused to budge from her esophagus.

"I don't suppose that I am," she replied somewhat shakily and he responded by covering her hand with his.

"Care to talk about it?"

She looked up to his noble face, Bails eyes full of compassion a trait that never seemed to leave him.

"Have you ever felt so alone in the galaxy? Like a bird with clipped wings who can not do the one thing it was born to do."

A solitary tear spilled from her eye and rolled as if in slow motion down her cheek. His fingers brushed it away and he held her face cupped in his palms.

"What I wouldn't give to be away from this place."

"Regardless of what has been between us Eiana, and what may never be again, I will always be here for you, as your true and loyal friend."

The kindness in Bails' eyes overwhelmed her now and she was relieved of the discomfort of eye contact when he wrapped her up in a warm embrace.

"Thank you Bail, you don't know how much that means to me."

She could feel Sheev watching them as he conversed with Senator Antillies through the open doors to the formal dining room. _Let him believe what he will_ she told herself as Bail kissed her forehead.

"Anything you need Eiana, if it is in my power to give, you need only ask."

She knew one day this moment and the private alliance of her own she had built here would all be worth it.

* * *

Ana had not spoken to Maul but she happened to be present when he had contacted her father from inside Cog Hive Seven on a scrambled frequency, To hear his voice again at least gave some relief.

"Who, or what are the Bando Gora Papa?"

Ana asked after the transmission ended.

"A force worshipping cult comprised of living and dead on one of the moons of Bogden, and a rising criminal organization. Their leader Komarii Vosa was once a Jedi Knight before falling into the darkness. She may prove to be a valuable asset to us in the future."

His slight smile was chilling

"Allies are important."

She repeated what he had aforementioned to her a few days earlier when referencing Bail.

His smile showed he was pleased with her reply.

"Ever the fast learner Eiana, I still hope that you are my greatest ally daughter." his hands shrouded her shoulders

"I live to serve you and follow your teachings, Papa."

The words came out automatically, a well-rehearsed line she had repeated thousands of times. It was too easy to make the conviction seem real now. To make her facial muscles twitch into an expression of adoration and to lower her voice to an awe-filled and reverent hush.

"Good, good."

he seemed content with her answer.

"Maul will deliver what I need to Vosa and then shall unfold the next part of our plans."

His body language spoke magnitudes as he stood and straightened his senatorial garments, he had clearly ended the conversation and was not open to any more questions from her on the subject. Ana realized she really did not care to hear the answers.

* * *

Anas mood changed from pensive to joyous alacrity not one week later when she discovered Maul was on his way home. She had desperately wanted to stay in and wait for him but it so happened that Bail had invited her to a viewing at the opera house.

The apartment was eerily still by the time she returned. Letting herself in via key code she bid Bail a good night and slipped out of her shoes so as not to make a noise as she headed down a level to her rooms. Outside her doors she reached out down the hall to her fathers' chambers and felt his body at rest, he was asleep. Stepping into her living space she sealed the door behind her, tossed her shoes to the side.

"What are you doing in here?" She turned to the bedroom access to her right where she could feel his presence before she could see him in the shadows.

"The door was unsecured, I thought of it as an invitation." Oh, how she had missed that soft low voice, it sent shivers down her spinal column to hear it now.

"Do you desire death, my dear?" She asked, sighing as he took her into his arms his chin nestling in the curve of her neck.

"If I die, I die a happy man." he pulled away and studied her face intently "Where have you been?" Ana shifted her gaze and tried to tear away from him, "Where?"

"The Opera, I have an image to maintain, you know this."

"Ahh yes, the future Senator how could I forget." He pulled her back in his lips brushing her ear as he whispered: "Luckily for Representative Organa I am not a jealous man." Ana only laughed and shoved him away

"You play a dangerous game Lord Maul." She shook her head and began to remove her jewellery "I ought to send you away, Papa could wake."

"And where is the fun in that?"

"This isn't in jest, you should not be here."

"I don't care about that, you worry too much." Maul threw himself back on the lounge beside her as she began to unwind and unravel her hair.

"Incorrect, I worry a perfectly precise amount." Ever surprising Maul reached out for a braid and began to uncoil it gently. Ana said nothing but her body ached each time his fingers brushed her neck or shoulder. She leaned back into his chest and basked in the presence that completed her now.

"Take me to bed Maul." her eyes were heavy, her body finally relaxed. She had not even known it was tense while he was gone but everything was right with her universe now.

* * *

Maul was training harder than he had ever trained before, he felt renewed like life had a completely new meaning and he a greater sense of purpose. Even more rode on his shoulders now and it propelled him to achieve greater heights, in combat and in the force.

The time was nearing, the point where they would reveal themselves and the Jedi order would slowly but surely begin to crumble in upon itself leaving their adversaries splintered and weak. He would be waiting in the shadows for the most opportune moment to strike out and take them down one by one.

For when he was at rest he could feel a thousand blades and see the destruction of Malachor in his mind's eye, it enraged him now as it had the first time he had felt it.

This was not just a hunger for revenge but a thirst for justice to be served, for when the dust settled the ashes of his slaughtered kinsmen could finally lay at rest.

Master was, as always, captious with everything he did. It was only now that Maul had discovered something more that the constant carping irked him no end. Yet he endured it, tedious as it was Sidious had many lessons to teach which would only make the neophyte more powerful until the day came where he would surpass his master and his only ruler would be the force.

Maul shook out his burning limbs and put the training staff aside, His body still felt the pains from the prison but his awareness of the force was sharper than ever.

Passing through the doorway into his living area he threw his towel aside and entered the bedroom, swiftly pulling himself up onto the meditation pedestal he dropped his head to each shoulder one after the other feeling his neck click as he did and rounded his shoulders to rid of any tension and slowed his breathing. He became aware of the beating of his twin hearts coming to a slower and more relaxed pace after his exertion, he heard her voice in his head guiding him, though she was far from this place. Calm and peace were not feelings welcome to him in his usual meditation and he shrugged them away.

Yet he found himself curious time and time again as to how Anas meditation was so peaceful yet she could draw on the darkness as fast as he could without channelling such raw emotion into her contemplations.

Maul shook such feelings off, pushed them aside and relived his saber fight with Eldra in his mind. This would give him clarity, this would hone his skills, this would help him destroy the Jedi.

* * *

In her mind, she saw a still lake, not even the slightest breeze existed in this place to ripple its glassy surface. Here in the centre of its great expanse, she stood on a lone rocky standing stone with not a presence to be felt in any direction, only water.

So here she sat, in the calm, in the still, at peace. Oh, the things she could see in this place, past, present and future events, secrets the force only shared with her.

If sanctuary existed for Ana it was here in the most private of places, her own mind. The one place no one could pry, the place she wished she could stay.

Here in her asylum, there was both suffering and happiness and both were understood. The balance on her lake was a kind she could not foresee in her lifetime, a galaxy where passion and peace coexisted, serenity and emotion walked together hand in hand loving one another for their differences rather than disdaining one another because not all beings were the same.

Her mind carried her from her mortal body as though on the wings of a bird flying forever over the body of water, she could see no end to it but still she soared until in the distance her eyes spied an isle, it grew closer and closer with each beating of the wings carrying her until she landed on its sandy shore.

The sunlight was brighter here and she sheltered her eyes as she searched for her purpose, there must be something the force bid her see. Gathering her skirts and feeling the smooth grey sand between her toes Ana moved up the dune to the more solid ground, as she came to the top of the rise a small open rotunda came into her vision, built of aged grey stones covered in bright green and yellow mosses and blanketed in a creeping black vine.

She ascended the steps to the entryway where her eyes fell upon an altar on which rested a brilliant golden scale. On each side of the scale rested a swirling ball of energy, black on the left arm and white on the right. The darkness crackled and the light hummed, she dare not come close for fear of disturbing the perfect balance, so she admired it from where she stood on the top step.

Before she realized what was happening the thick black vines that covered the pavilion walls wrapped around her body holding her feet to the ground and her arms at her sides.

Anas mind screamed in protest as they snaked their way to the balance, offshoots wrapping around the left arm and dragging it down. Unable to stop it the black energy toppled in slow motion from the golden dish and fell for what seemed an eternity to the cobbled ground before her.

Time froze as the dark sphere seemed to turn itself inside out and began to expand, like a noxious gas would fill a room it began to spread all around her, cold and angry.

She was afraid, Ana could not remember ever feeling a fear this great. The darkness swirled so thickly around the now teetering ball of light that she could no longer see it. She struggled against the vines to no avail, then she tried calmly willing the vines to release her, but nothing.

There was no saving the balance, this was not her task to fulfil.

Her heart heavy the wings began to beat again, the vines disappeared as the wings took her away from the island, now covered in darkness.

* * *

Fear itself was such a primal emotion, fear tells one that something is very wrong and warns them against proceeding. But Anas father did not share her fears, he relished in them.

The fear of tipping the balance did not exist in Sheev, tipping the balance was, in fact, his goal.

Everything about this was wrong and Ana knew it deep inside her being, she should not be in this place, she should not be assisting in this plan.

When Sheev demanded to know what she had seen and she had told him, he reeled joyously in her revelation, while Ana felt sick to her stomach paralysed by her anxiety.

The time was almost upon them now he had assured her, Ana had only smiled in return nausea in her belly at an unsurpassed high.

Something in her was shifting, Her being challenged every event that was unfolding in her path, her loyalty to this Sith cause was beginning to wane. It was all too astronomical for her to begin to understand, Her force vision urged her to keep the balance but by staying she was only helping to skew it.

Maul was the sole reason she stayed.

She had never meant to love him, that she had not anticipated happening. And now? Well, now she did not have many options laid before her.

The only people that could and would help her made up a very small list. Bail, Maul, and the Jedi. And Ana could not ask for help without endangering lives.

Bail, as sweet and compassionate as he was could not defend himself against Sheev, that immediately ruled him out. Ana would not bring innocents into her struggles.

Maul could protect himself she had no doubts about his proficiency, but would he see her point of view? No, most probably not, Maul was loyal to the cause and the code to his core.

And the Jedi? They may, however unlikely, believe the word of an obscure young representative of a mid-rim world, but that would immediately put Maul's life in danger, they would no doubt discover him if they arrested her father. And Maul would never forgive such a betrayal.

No, Ana had to do this on her own, and before Sheev discovered the truth.

The truth, something she wasn't yet sure she could admit even to her own person.

As she entered her bedchamber she sank to the floor covering by her bed her face buried deep in her covers.

She wished she were someone else, leading another life, in some other world far away from this one where there were no regulations to follow, no one dictating to her what she could and could not do. No Senate, no Jedi, No Sith, No force. Where she could lead a normal life, love like a regular individual and raise a family like a quotidian woman.


	3. Far Above, Far Below

She swished the cool water in her mouth and spat it out in the basin watching it gurgle down the drain, it did little to remove the distinct acidic taste on the back of her tongue. Ana stared long and hard at her pallid drawn reflection, tentatively bringing her hands to her face and pressing her palms to her cheeks in trepidation.

She had been feeling sickly for days now and it only now began to dawn on her as she stood alone in the dead of night in Maul's washroom.

Her hands fell to her abdomen clutching the thin fabric of Maul's undershirt in her fists, she gnawed on her lips nervously drawing blood but scarcely noticing the taste.

How could she have been so very remiss? And how could she keep this great onus concealed from the one who would gladly rip it from her?

Forcing one foot in front of the other she made her way back into the bedchamber in a daze. Maul twitched in his sleep as she took a seat on the bed opposite him.

He never slept soundly, the Sith Lord tossed and turned, mumbled, growled and groaned through restless dreams and often woke with a start before pulling her close and griping her tight to his chest then drifting off again.

She was about to reach for her vesture when his eyes sprang open, his burning irises glinting, watching her in the dim light.

"Are you leaving?"

He whispered, his voice abundant with disappointment and his eyes looked almost doleful behind the glaze of slumber. She felt a dull ache fill her ribcage at the prospect of leaving him alone and shook her head.

"Not if you don't want me to. I'm sorry, I did not mean to wake you, I couldn't sleep."

Ana crossed her legs under one another as she turned to where he lay and she took his large tattooed hand in both of hers. Maul wrenched her down to lay beside him and wrapped her up in his brawny arms

"What's wrong?"

he murmured sleepily into her ear. Ana felt a tear spill from each of her eyes and roll off of her cheeks onto his broad chest, she pushed her fear away, locking it deep down inside of her and caressed his oblique with her free hand.

"Nothing my love, nothing at all."

She lied as his breathing became deeper and he drifted away again.

She lay there for hours, wide awake and worrying, soothing Maul each time he started in his sleep, stroking his face and kissing his brow until the time came when she knew she had to leave him and head back to her world, that he had no place in.

Slipping slowly out of his coveting embrace and easing off the bed she collected her clothing and removed his shirt from her body, beginning to dress in her own, now crumpled attire. Moving quietly she stole one last glance at him before slipping away from the LiMerge into the passages under the works.

* * *

Ana had taken every precaution each time she visited Maul and again when she returned. She took the course that led near Bails apartment so it would seem she was returning from him if her father were to catch her out of bed at such a time of night.

She had not anticipated actually meeting Bail in her travels and was taken aback when she found him on the promenade near the Alderaanian apartments. He seemed a little confused to see her and she knew she must look a sight for sore eyes after a sleepless night.

"Good morning."

she advanced toward him slowly, hugging herself against the early morning chill.

"I must look a vision,"

Ana forced a laugh

"I could not sleep, I needed to walk."

She offered in way of explanation.

Bail studied her face a moment before a distressed frown traversed his forehead.

"You are a concerning soul Eiana Palpatine."

He shook his head and offered his arm

"But you're not alone, I did not sleep either."

She wrapped her hands around his elbow and the pair walked in silence, Not the awkward and uncomfortable hush she had shared with him many a time, but rather a congenial and reflective tranquillity in each others company.

Bail unknowingly brought her into a state of calm, just simply being in his presence temporarily washed her troubles away. With him she could pretend none of her anxieties even existed, none of her concerns were real.

"In another life, in another place Bail, We would have made one another very happy."

She gazed up at him as they came to a stop before the turbo lifts that would take her home. Both her hands gripped his upper arms and she stood tip-toed to graze his cheek with a kiss. His forehead creased again and a pained expression passed his face fleetingly.

"It's not too late Eiana,"

he whispered as he gripped her elbows gently, searching her eyes for any hope that might dwell within them. She only shook her head in way of reply. It was far too late now, that doorway had closed forever, only one path remained open to her.

"This goodbye is not forever my friend."

She blinked slowly as she reached and touched his face ever so softly with her fingertips

"I wish you every happiness in the galaxy."

He looked as though he were about to protest her words when his comlink buzzed interrupting them "Goodbye Representative Organa."

Ana dropped into a low curtsy avoiding his eyes as she slipped into the lift and punched in her floor. The breath she did not realize she held rushed from her lungs as she fell back into the transparisteel shell of the pod and stifled a heart-wrenching sob, refusing to look down on him as she ascended.

* * *

Sheev excused himself momentarily as he heard the security doors open down the hall and caught his young daughter re-entering the suite.

"Where have you been?"

he snapped, staring her down, anger brimming in his brilliant blue eyes. Fear flashed across her face for the briefest of moments and she inclined her head.

"I'm sorry Papa, I could not sleep, I was out walking the promenade with Representative Organa." her voice rang with truth and he merely nodded and beckoned her to follow him back to the informal dining area near the kitchen.

The girl looked less than her best but his master would see beyond her exterior to her true gifts, The young Dathomiri dropped to her knees as soon as she saw the Munn seated at the head of the table. Her fingertips pressed into the thick carpet pile and her unkempt hair covered the left side of her face.

Plagueis spoke softly behind his breathing apparatus beckoning her to rise.

"No need for that here child, let me see your face, come sit."

he patted the arm of the seat beside him with long spidery fingers as Sheev rounded the table to sit opposite his daughter.

He sensed no fear in her now, she moved with such assuredness and grace as she took a seat with them.

"Please, daughter, Tell the master what you foresaw for our cause."

Sheev took a sip of his water and pressed his hands together waiting for her to speak.

"I saw the scales of balance Master."

she looked directly at the Sith Lord as she articulated, Plagueis leaned forward ever so slightly in his chair listening intently to her every word.

"The darkness fell from the scale unbalancing the light and engulfing it."

She spoke plainly, without apprehension and Sheev felt a sense of satisfaction, not a fatherly pride, but one a teacher feels for their pupil. He had trained this girl since infancy to be his messenger, his eyes and ears to the tides of the living force and he had succeeded. The Grey was a great asset to their designs and he knew that his master could see that now.

"You have done well with this one Sidious."

The Munn did not take his eyes from her

"Alongside your assassin, I feel sure they will help us greatly in times to come."

Eiana had not moved, he did not even think she had blinked.

"Are you certain of their loyalty?"

the Munn reached out and gripped his daughters chin firmly tilting her face away to admire her profile.

"My loyalty is to the cause."

Eiana answered with no hesitation

"I am at your bidding Master."

Her face did not change, she showed no emotion whatsoever and Plagueis drummed the tabletop thoughtfully now before rising from his place.

"This one is rather beautiful for a humanoid my apprentice, I propose you find her a suitable matrimonial union where she will be of some influence in Congress."

He ran his hand along the back of her chair as he made his way to the door and Sheev nodded in agreement.

"We are currently working on procuring such a match."

The pair left her behind as they proceeded down the hall to the main entrance, Master in step with Apprentice.

"Stay mindful my apprentice, I am most pleased with these weapons, you have far exceeded my expectations in this instance, but be sure to keep them under your control."

Sheev only nodded again bowing his head.

"Their loyalty is absolute my master, they exist only to serve our mandate."

His master gripped his shoulder firmly

"May the force serve you well apprentice."

"And you, My Master."

He bowed as Plagueis exited.

* * *

The space station above Coruscant was alive with chatter, Eiana hated to be here in the company of so-called, Coruscant elite when Maul had been gone for the last two days. Her father had sent him on a mission to locate the Neimoidian deserter Hath Monchar, previously The Deputy Viceroy of the Trade Federation, who appeared to have developed a case of cold feet at the prospect of working with the Sith Lord.

Ana could not say she blamed the alien, given any choice she would not work with her father either.

She could not spend all her time in meditation watching Mauls every move, and certainly not when Sheev expected her to keep up this representative façade. Attending dinner parties and garden soirées such as this made her anxious and exhausted her mentally.

In any case, Maul was supposed to be meeting with her father in this very space station, Sheev had only brought Eiana along to keep his company occupied while he stole away to rendezvous with his apprentice.

The chatter in the solarium suddenly let off a nervous vibe when she noticed guards drawing their weapons and moving toward the pavilion. Ana sent off the small lark that graced her fingers and pushed through the crowd to find her father.

He stood amidst the guards near a small marquee setting, a rumpled man slumped into the garden seat before him, they were conversing but she could not hear what they were saying above the voices around her.

Weaving her way through the gathering, making her way to the centre she gripped Sheevs arm

"What is happening Papa?"

She glanced at the scruffy looking human seated before them and realized he was missing a hand "Oh my…"

Her voice trailed off

"You don't need to see this daughter, you should not be here."

Her father pulled her aside out of ear-reach of the beings that encircled the injured man now, he opened his hand revealing the crystal that Maul was supposed to deliver to him.

Anas' stomach sank but she masked such feelings and kept an emotionless mask on her face. "Go, find Maul."

Her master hissed lowly

"If he has been bested by this ragtag information broker, make sure no one finds his lightsaber or his ship."

"As you wish Papa."

Ana kissed his cheek for performance sake and gathered her skirts heading toward the solarium's entrance doors trying not to call attention to herself as she did so.

She hurried toward the hangar, the hallways now void of guards made it much easier to slip off unnoticed. As she moved she reached out in the force feeling for Maul's presence, it did not take long to find him. Quickly glancing around to be sure she was not spotted Ana ducked into a service port and tracked Maul's signature to a double airlock. Letting herself through the first door with a wave of two fingers she closed it behind her, in two more steps she opened the anti-gravity seal and stepped off of the floor propelling herself through the doorway. With a sweep of her hand, it slid shut behind her and she used it to kick off of to soar to the other side of the wide expanse, reaching for the force and gripping it like an invisible rope to pull herself toward the doorway opposite her entrance. As she reached it the door opened before her at her request and as it closed again she dropped to the floor with scarcely a sound.

Gathering her skirt again she slipped through the second door where he was waiting for her in the shadows of Scimitar.

"Hurry up."

He mumbled, his head lowered, shame radiating off of him in waves. His fingertips pressed into the small of her back as he motioned her up Scimitars ramp before following closely behind her.

The trip back to the surface was short in the cloaked ship Both her and Maul remained silent behind the controls right up until he set the infiltrator down in the LiMerge buildings main hangar.

Ana rose from her seat and gave Maul's shoulder a quick squeeze

"I will visit you tonight, My father will be dining with Hego Damask he never returns early."

She stooped and kissed his smooth cheek, lingering a moment wishing that he would talk to her, He remained silent.

She could feel his disappointment in his failure to destroy the broker, but ultimately his mission had been a success. The holocron was back in their masters' hands and the Trade Federation deserter was dead. She knew there was no way Sheev would let this informant live, he knew too much now. It was only a matter of time before Maul was dispatched to finish the job.

Her hand fell from his shoulder and she hesitantly left him alone departing his ship into the cold, dark, hangar. Suddenly she felt incredibly alone, here in this deserted place with only the rumble of distant machinery from other factories nearby.

She found her hands holding her stomach fearfully as she stood looking out the hangar door behind Scimitar where the sun was beginning to settle behind the busy cityscape, casting a beautiful hue of orange through the opening. A sigh escaped her and a single tear rolled over her eyelashes and dropped to the floor from her now bowed head.

Suddenly she was angry at herself for her weakness and emotion, Tears would help her none. Wiping her eyes dry with her sleeve she turned heel and strode for the passageway exit.

* * *

At last the loose end that was Pavan was dealt with, Maul had moved on from his frustration and came to his master when summoned.

It was not often he called him up to the 500 Republica apartment, It must be urgent if he could not meet him in the LiMerge, He knew that it was time.

"At last we shall reveal ourselves to the Jedi, at last, we shall have revenge"

Maul whispered as his master came to a halt on the high rise balcony overlooking the city lights.

"You have been well trained my young apprentice they shall be no match for you"

Came his calm reply

"Now rest, you will leave before first light I will meet you in the hangar."

Sidious waved his hand in dismissal and Maul bowed deeply to his master before turning to the glass doors to the reception room that was doused in darkness.

He threw a backward glance to the now empty balcony before stealing to an unused service elevator and pressing his fingertips to the touch-pad. The doors swooshed open and just as quickly slid shut again behind him. The lift dropped further and further down and stopped with a hiss.

Maul strode out into the grated corridor boots causing the metal to clang loudly with each step. Several turns in the maze of halls and he made his way down a rickety old stairwell. He was deep under the surface of the planet now, Generators hummed and droids bleeped as they went about their work. This was his domain, he was king in this dark, damp and filthy place.

He carried on through the labyrinth of passageways until he came home. He stepped inside the concealed entry to his chambers and as he did so beautiful comforting warmth washed over him. There she sat before him, suspended, cross-legged, levitated in a deep meditation. Her face perfectly still, void of all thought and emotion.

Maul sat quietly on the lounger as so not to disturb her and began to unbuckle his boots. As he did he felt a shift in the force around him as she slowly fell to the floor below her, He marvelled silently at her power, so unlike any force wielder he had ever met. Her connection to the force was uncanny, her foresight unparalleled.

She was no Sith, nor was she Jedi. But hers was the grey area of balance between the light and the dark. Her father, his master, rarely referred to her as anything other than The Grey, this bothered him now that he knew she was so much more than a mere weapon.

"News?"

she queried, her eyes still sealed shut.

"Pavan is dead."

"Congratulations Lord Maul."

Her face remained unchanged.

"It begins tomorrow, I leave before dawn"

Her silver eyes fluttered open and stared, reading and perceiving. She rose and moved to the small kitchenette to pour them both a drink, sipping she handed the other chalice to him before taking her place beside him. Her chin turned up and her eyes studied his face

"Something is not right, I do not like it, this is not the right time."

her face was stony and her presence was grim.

"Let me worry about the right time woman"

he muttered as he shrugged off his cloak and half turned his body parallel to hers slapping his gloves down on the table

"You are so very unnerving"

He took her face in his now bare fingers

"Turn your worry into something useful"

"My worry is not worry at all but foresight,"

she insisted. He gazed for a moment before leaning in to kiss her brusquely.

Sometimes when she stared into his eyes that way he felt she could read another piece of the puzzle that was his soul, he almost feared that one day she may piece them all together rendering him vulnerable. He would not let her be his weakness.

"You should not be here."

he turned away indulging in his cowardice and threw himself back into a reclining position now gripping his drinking vessel tightly in his fist. She laughed a little but her face looked almost sad.

His greatest fear was their alliance being discovered by his master, And what he might do.

"Where in the force should I be, pray tell?"

"You live to torment me don't you?"

"No Lord Maul, you are mistaken,"

there was something urgent in her voice and desperate in her eyes.

"I live to love you."

She placed her drink down and clasped his face between her palms. It was the first time she had ever uttered these words to him, The only time in his life as far as he could recall, that anyone had ever said them to him.

His mind reeled and his hearts throbbed but his tongue stayed silent, he had no words appropriate for her in this moment.

"Far above"

she whispered, seemingly unperturbed by his lack of reply, her fingertips sliding down his throat, chest, abdomen

"far below… we don't know where we will fall."

Her mouth met his in a fiery kiss, he was lost.

* * *

The soft bleeping of his wrist-pad roused him, Maul's eyes opened and in one swift motion he swung his legs out of the bed and tapped the flashing annoyance away.

She lay so peacefully tangled in the bedclothes and nothing else, he had never known beauty before her, he found his fingers caressing her thigh and visions of the night before ran through his mind tempting him to wake her. Gathering all of his resolve he tore himself away and collected a fresh tunic and pants then headed to the washroom.

As the water ran over his body he meditated, focusing inward thoughts of Jedi and their narrow-minded vision of how the galaxy should be. He focused on his fears and felt them melting away into the force, he focused on the bubbling lust in his belly and stamped it away channelling it into usable passion and rage. He focused on his disdain and hatred for his master and added that to the fire as well.

He emerged from the wash cubicle anew, he felt prepared. Letting the lights dry him he wasted no time in dressing.

Back in the bedchamber he collected his clothes from the floor and tossed them into the cavity in the wall at the end of the bed to be sent to the laundering droid across the hall. He turned to see her upright, the thin bed cover wrapped around her waist, her soft raven curls brushing it as her chest rose and fell.

"I did not mean to wake you-"

"You would leave without saying goodbye?"

she looked troubled at the thought.

"I will return in no time."

stooped to kiss her forehead and she fell silent. Sitting beside her he didn't know how to comfort her. Somewhere in his deepest subconscious, he could recall his mothers' arms holding him lovingly, but perhaps it was but a dream.

She touched his arm softly before moving behind him, her bare body pressed against his back as she shifted he suddenly felt a sharp and unexpected piercing sensation in the upper curve of his ear. Touching it he turned to face her, one of her small silver studs was missing from her left lobe.

"Perhaps it will bring you good fortune?"

she suggested

"I have the force, do I need luck as well?"

he half smiled as he asked

"Maybe it reassures me"

she took his hands and forced him to face her

"Whatever happens on this trip, I cannot stay here any longer."

her words trailed off leaving him confused.

"Why not?"

he demanded to know

"where would you go?"

still holding his hands she brought them to her body and laid them on her stomach

"I'm not safe here, and neither his he."

Time slowed to an insufferable crawl, his heart rates quickened, pounding in his ears and his palms transferred perspiration to her warm skin. He swallowed, his thoughts racing through his head.

"Stay here, for now. When the battle is over your father will return to Naboo for a short time, It is planned."

His demeanour turned from panicked to serious and rational in the blink of an eye.

"I will send the location and the access codes to a ship to this data pad before I leave this system. Master does not know of her existence."

He snatched the device off the side table and pressed it into her fingers

"I planned to get you away from here at some point, I did not think I would need to so soon. You will take nothing with you everything you need is on board."

He licked his lips, his fear getting the better of him momentarily, he pushed it away and cleared his thoughts.

"In the Wild Space beyond the Outer Rim near the Rishi Maze, you'll find the water planet Kamino. Therein Tipoca city ask after the bounty hunter Jango Fett, tell him Jaggernath sent you on a matter of great urgency. Pay for his for his silence if you must. I will meet you there as soon as I am able to without master suspecting my involvement."

He could not pull his hands away from her belly, This was theirs, His master would not take this from him like he had taken his family and home.

"Take no risks, I will not lose you, either of you."

She nodded in agreement and threw her arms around his neck. He pulled her svelte body close and inhaled her scent.

"I have to leave, I'm to meet your father before I leave the system."

"Be safe,"

she whispered as he kissed her forehead, the sense of foreboding wafted off her and made his stomach sink. He pushed such feelings aside and channelled them into the rage that was ready to be unleashed on the Jedi.

"They will prove outmatched, go now, I will speak to you soon."

He kissed her one last time before starting for the door, his gut twisted, the fear gripping him again, he turned back to face her one last time.

"I love you, Ana."

The words seemed so foreign to his tongue, he wondered if they sounded as strange to her ears. Before him her eyes filled with tears, he couldn't bear witness to this, it was too much. With that, he left.

* * *

Fear. Darkness. The coldest cold she had ever experienced washed over the force in that strange place. Deep and calm breaths contrasted with shallow tired ragged ones. Lights clashed on contact and hummed apart again. Red, red, blue and green. Over and over in a seemingly endless dance, it's participants gathered up in the force both the light and darkness.

Eiana could feel every step and misstep, every move, every fall, Each muscle contracting and relaxing again. Her lungs slowly sucked in air and she found her centre in the force reaching for his presence. Sheets of red light were opening and closing in concordance. All went still as he paced impatiently, the Jedi dropped to his knees and became quiet.

Ana was acutely aware of the situation Maul was in, she could see everything around him, the rooms, the people nearby. She could feel the emotions and fatigue, But more importantly, she could feel the force surrounding everything.

The red sheets dropped away and the dance resumed, only green on red now smooth and graceful. And then quite suddenly life began to fade. The green light completely dissipated and all that was left was the thrumming of the two red bars and the scream of pain emitted from the young Jedis very soul. All was still and anger ran between the two like an angry live current of raw electricity. In this moment there was very little light, the force was entirely skewed in favour of the darkness.

Again the sheet dropped and a fierce clashing ensued, Ana had never seen anything quite so ferocious nor terrifying. This was for life and death and her heart threatened to beat right out of her chest. The darkness pushed and the young Jedi suddenly fell, barely hanging on. A solitary red blade clashed in taunt, It was over. Her lips moved but no sound came out, her words were for him alone

" _Finish it, end it now."_

The red slashed near his feet again as the lightness began to gather like a hurricane below him _"NOW!"_

she screamed, no longer sure whether her words were silent or aloud and not caring. The hurricane surged over Maul, she felt his shock and suddenly his searing pain in her own abdomen. And all that was before her eyes was blinding green light.

Emptiness grew inside her chest, her throat constricted and she clawed at her neck gasping for air. Suddenly she was aware that her cheeks were wet and a loud sob escaped her lungs as her body fell to the floor. She could not move, trying desperately to ground her senses on the cold hard floor tiles.

Her chest cavity was heavy, her heart felt as though it had shattered into millions of shards all trying to escape her ribs. She could not breathe, she could not think, she could not feel anything but the pain.

* * *

Time held no significance, she no longer knew whether it had been hours or days. Everything was drowning in darkness, she wasn't even sure if she cared. The data-pad bleeped beside her reminding her it was there, reminding her that it was Mauls last wish.

She reached out in the force for what felt like the millionth time and felt absolutely nothing. A black hole that had sucked him away… and yet...That heinous bleeping again.

Her body released a shaky sigh as she picked it up. Opening the mail she concentrated on the coordinates and the access code, memorizing every symbol.

"Help me, mama, I need you now"

she breathed as she moved to her feet, Throwing on a snug, lightweight travel jumpsuit and reaching for her zeyd cloth cloak she fastened it to the buckle at the front of the jumpsuit. She worked hurriedly to lace her boots and tucked the fastenings down inside as so not to trip on them in her haste. She glanced around and recalled Maul telling her to bring nothing.

" _Everything you need is on board"_

" _Breathe."_

She told herself and then, gathering her thoughts and feelings as she tentatively stepped into the hallway of the living level of the apartment. Reaching out she felt for any presence in the stillness of the suite, nothing moved and she turned to the right, moving quickly down the passage toward the service lift.

She had felt another great shift in the force the previous night, She knew her father had caused it, He was no longer the apprentice, The Munn was dead.

The Senate was declaring a new Supreme Chancellor today, she knew Sheev had succeeded Valorum, He did not need Plagueis any longer, It was the reason behind the timing.

She took the familiar path toward the works but forked off in a new direction dictated to her by the data pad halfway to the LiMerge. As she finally came upon a sealed door she looked one last time at the set of codes before she dropped the pad to the ground and smashed it under her heel.

The door opened up onto a tight-fitting hangar bay, barely enough space to allow the resting shuttle to enter or exit by her judgement.

Eiana did not know how Maul had procured Ferine, she probably did not want to know. But as far as he had been concerned her father had no knowledge of the shuttle or its location. The ex-Republic transport shuttle was an ugly looking ship, but as long as it got her to her destination she did not care for its appearance.

She was reassured by all this planning, it gave her such great comfort to know that he had, through everything, considered her safety. A fully stocked ship, a safe place for her to go. Even though Maul had admitted he had not expected this so soon, Had he known that she would need to escape when she did not?

Their plans to bide their time until they were powerful enough to seize control had fallen apart but had Maul always know that they would fail? So many unanswered questions swirled around in her head.

Ana was no pilot but Maul had apparently planned well in advance for that too as a shining new FA-4 pilot droid graced the cockpit and automatically whirred to life as she entered.

"Greetings my lady, would you like me to prepare the craft for take off?"

"Please."

She seated herself in the co-pilot seat and punched her destination into the nava-computer allowing it a moment to plot its course. The droid worked diligently, lights blinked to life and engines began to power up simultaneously. Thrusters roared into action neatly propelling the ship forward from the hangar into the light of day, They slid into the slipstream of air traffic preparing to leave the system, there was no telling that it was any different to any other vessel, but Anas' nerves were not eased.

"Far above, far below."

She whispered to herself, tears she had angrily wiped away several days earlier now rained down her face.

"What once was great is rendered small."


	4. Vicissitude

For the most part, she let FA-4 control her trip to Wild Space, praying her father did not have a trace on Ferine like Maul had promised her. The very thought of Maul made a hard lump reform in her throat, peculiar as it was that she had not felt him die yet without a shadow of a doubt he had indeed departed from her. The water planet Kamino had shown on her scopes precisely where Maul had predicted it would be, at least something was going right for her. The young hybrid located Tipoca city and started the landing cycle with little to no idea of what awaited her. The danger was far from over "Akkhan Ji, help me" she whispered to the spirit of her mother as the light craft settled down in the middle of the tempestuous sea.

The high winds and torrential rains battered her slight frame as she rushed from the ramp toward the glowing light shining from the entry of the oddly formed complex. A curious behemoth shot heavenward from the waves to the right of her and vanished just as quickly. She was not startled, she had felt it there before she had exited her ship. Waving two fingers at the sealed doorway it opened unhesitatingly at her request, she detected an alarm bleeping softy along the sterile white hall that led off from the antechamber and stood perfectly still waiting to be discovered there. Removing her soggy robe she folded it neatly over her arm. Her lank black curls dripped quietly onto the polished black floor tiles soon to be drowned out by the rushed footsteps hurrying toward her. His Hair matched hers in colour but his skin was a lovely tan shade contrasting with her pallid white. Where her face was littered with freckles his was adorned with scars. He extended twin blasters and levelled them at her head, there was no hint of mercy in his eyes, he meant what he had declared.

"Who the hell are you?" he growled 'Why didn't you request permission to land?"

she held her palms up cautiously to show that she was unarmed and took a tentative step in his direction

"Stop or I will shoot"

he warned gruffly.

"Please,"

she requested softly

"I mean no alarm, my Name is Ana, Ana Ji, I came seeking a Jango Fett."

His brow creased and he jerked his fallen aim back up to her brow.

"What business do you have with Fett?"

he barked, finger on the trigger ready to let loose if need be.

"Jaggernath sent me,"

she whispered his eyes widened briefly at the mention of the name Jaggernath.

"He told me you can help me."

Wordlessly the bounty hunter sheathed one weapon his hand still keeping one for good measure and signalled her to follow him. He turned abruptly to the right and strode down the wide curving passage. The building had appeared to be circular on her descent to the landing pad and indeed the corridor continued to hug the edge of the structure.

Raging waves hammered the windows that lined the external walls continuously, not that one could see much through the approaching nightfall and unrelenting rainfall.

"This way" he growled ushering her off into a branching hall to their left that seemed to lead straight in to the centre of the complex.

His comlink buzzed and he unhooked it from his belt

"Jango"

he said softly, as he punched the button to call for the elevator

"Is everything alright down there?"

came a slow, soft voice in reply

"Aye, just a visitor for me."

His answers, in fact, his entire persona, seemed rather short. As if he had one million other things he could be doing.

"Very well,"

the smooth voice lulled

"Enjoy the rest of your evening Jango."

Static ensued and he switched the device off, shoving it into his pocket as the elevator opened.

"After you."

the right corner of his mouth jerked into a slight smirk, it didn't appear to be sinister at all and as Ana stepped into the lift she reached out looking for any trace of ill intent or treachery. There was none.

The pair traversed in awkward silence. Ana wanted to tell him everything, something about him even made her feel as though she must, but this was not the place.

"He warned me, you know,"

his dark eyes met hers

"That one day he may send someone my way."

He looked almost annoyed

"The man is lucky I owe him, this is not a good time."

* * *

The lift chimed as they came to their terminus and the doors slid back permitting them into yet another brightly lit sterile looking passageway. For any median being, it would've all been very disorienting, but Eiana was no ordinary being and could sense they were very near the top level now. Jango punched buttons in a keypad just off to the right of the turbo lift and the door retracted allowing him entry. The small apartment was rather spartan with only the necessities.

Jango reached out and gripped her arm, none too gently and tore her robe from her giving it a quick shake to ascertain it was hiding nothing. He spun her around and began to pat her down. When he was satisfied that she was unarmed he released her and she found herself rubbing her bicep.

He led the way into the kitchen, poured a small mug of coffee and handed it to her. He even pulled out a seat at the small dining suite and motioned for her to sit. Doing so she rested her drink on the hovering coaster.

Her silver eyes met his for what seemed an eternity, she took a breath and was about to clear her throat when he spoke for her

"You're a Bog Witch,"

The derogatory term made her cringe, he caught it but carried on speaking anyway.

"What does Jaggernath care for protecting you? As I understand it the Nightsisters terminate their Zabrak mates when they've given them living offspring?"

She swallowed believing she felt the nerves she had first experienced departing from Coruscant returning to her belly now.

"I am of Nightsister blood, it's true. But I was stolen from my coven in infancy. I do not live by their creed."

She paused

"How did you know?"

His mouth tugged in the same smirk she had spied earlier

"Not too many humans have naturally occurring silver eyes, they are that? Naturally occurring?"

She didn't answer, he merely shrugged dismissively, stood and took the few steps back to the counter to pour his own drink.

"What are you to Jaggernath?"

"Does it matter?"

Ana retorted hearing the shortness in her own voice.

"Lover?"

He turned and stared at her. Her face gave away nothing of the truth he had guessed at.

"Oh that has to be it"

he chuckled and nodded as he sat back down. Placing his drink down her folded his arms over his broad chest

"Why would you assume that?"

she queried. Fett ignored her question entirely.

"He has taste I'll give him that"

Raising the cup to his lips he sipped and she frowned again, her forehead wrinkling, he only laughed.

"What are you running from?"

He looked as though he were about to make another smart remark when a shrill cry interrupted them. Ana was startled momentarily, Fett, unperturbed, pushed back his chair and left the room. Her curiosity got the better of her and she rose, following the cries through the apartment. They stopped as she came to the doorway and witnessed the bounty hunter hushing the babe now held in his arms. She could feel her face draining, thunder roared in her ears. Reaching out in the force she steadied herself and fell into the window seat with a thud. Her heart pounded fast and she felt completely overwhelmed by the mere sight of the infant.

This became, in her mind, her own reality. A reality that she had not even had the time to realize, A reality where she would be responsible for a helpless bawling infant such as the one Jango held. It overcame her now, it terrified her.

She knew nothing of caring for children, she had no place to go and no one to help her with this.

* * *

He had checked in on her frequently during the night and the consequent morning. It was near noon before she had begun to stir at all. Her sleep became shallower as the draft he had given her wore off, she tossed and turned, murmured and cried out.

Jango had given up his bed and slept in the nursery with Boba, leaving water and pain pills on his night-stand for her when she finally roused.

His mind was full of questions, who was she? Where was she from? The shuttle she had arrived in was registered to Jaggernath. The log indicated that she had come from Coruscant and the craft appeared to have state of the art cloaking and he could find no signs of any trace.

Movement caught Jangos eye and he looked up from his infant son. She was dressed in one of his own shirts and he had seen to it that the laundry droids tended her clothes. Her long raven hair was tousled and unkempt. Her eyes wet and red-rimmed from recent tears.

"Food in the kitchen if you're hungry"

He tore his eyes away from her and back to Boba but she didn't leave. Settling herself on the floor in front of him she crossed her legs tucking his shirt between them, she watched his every move

"What are you doing?"

he asked, amused. Her silver eyes blinked

"Observing."

"You're an odd thing"

he commented aloud

"Have you never seen a baby before?"

"No."

came her simple answer

"At least not in person."

He was taken aback, what kind of sheltered soul had never seen an infant? He rose and crouched before her transferring Boba into her arms, adjusting her hold gently guiding her elbows to a correct angle.

"He's so very small"

she whispered to herself

"He's only 3 days old."

Jango stroked his cheek

"Where is his mother?"

"He has no mother Ana, he's a clone"

She looked puzzled

"Do you not know what Tipoca city is?"

She shook her head no.

"It's a cloning facility."

"I see."

She fell silent absorbing this information, she was completely fixated on the baby and Boba seemed perfectly content in her arms So Jango picked himself up and collected an assortment of ration packs, fruits and freshly brewed coffee and brought them to her. Laying them out on the table behind Ana he motioned for her to pass Boba back so he could put him down in the sleeping pod beside the couch.

His stomach grumbled as the smell of the varos fruit hit his nostrils, he had the Kaminoans import it from Mandalore for him, not a standard week before. Cutting one open he offered half to her, she received it tentatively her face deathly serious as she tried it. She looked neither pleased nor disgusted and he found himself wondering how a young woman so clearly naive would ever survive on her own in the galaxy.

"What in the universe was a man like Jaggernath doing with a girl like you?"

For the first time, the slightest hint of a smile pulled at the corners of her rosy lips.

"It takes many types of being to make a galaxy bounty hunter."

She stared at his face unblinking for a long moment before taking a sip of her brew.

"Pressing matters first,"

He changed the subject.

"I want to take you to the med-centre for a full checkup."

"That won't be necessary-"

"It will be, and you will do it."

He finished firmly and inhaled before taking a stab in the dark,

"Correct vitamins are essential in early stages of foetal development, and screening will make sure that it is developing as it should."

She looked taken aback if for only a moment before regaining her composure.

"How did you know?"

"A lucky guess"

He replied on a relieved exhale, relieved that he wasn't wrong, He didn't like to be wrong, he prided himself on his intuition, The girl remained silent and avoided his gaze.

"Does Jaggernath know?"

"It's why he sent me to you. He knew we weren't safe with-"

she stopped short a look of fear crossing her face and he knew she had almost revealed more than she wanted to.

"We weren't safe."

she finished sharply.

"So many secrets,"

he mused and the pair continued to eat in silence. After their meal, he began to collect the empty packages and trays and disposed of them. He pointed out the refresher and her clean pressed travel suit on the side table and left her to wash. Laying back on the couch and crossing his arms over his chest, he shut his eyes, intending to take a nap before taking her to the head of foetal development.

* * *

Eiana lay perfectly still as the tall slender Kaminoan, Udun Ki, sampled her blood and took her statistics. He directed her to raise her arms above her head and closed the scanner down over her abdomen adjusting it so it lay firmly against her skin. The force kept her breathing calm and at her head, Fett took her hand in his and squeezed as he watched the screens.

"Everything looks as it should."

The long-necked alien spoke softly

"Let us see how the embryo is developing."

He punched several commands into the computer and the scanner whirred to life emitting a pale blue light from under the band.

"I stand corrected"

the Kaminoan stated as images began to flash onto the console

"This is indeed a foetus, my estimation would be 10 standard weeks and 3 days"

His long fingers probed more buttons and his large grey eyes studied the images intently. "Interesting"

He murmured

"Twin hearts, the father is a Zabrak?"

She nodded

"Your blood work indicates you are a hybrid as well, Though a significantly higher percentage of human DNA-"

"My mother was a hybrid, my father is a human."

"Ahhh"

"Can she hear the heartbeats?"

the bounty hunter interjected

"Is it too soon to discern a gender?"

"The hearts should indeed be audible at this stage but the genitals will not begin to develop for another few days at the earliest."

The Kaminoan shifted a slider and a loud strong thudding filled the room. Ana closed her eyes and reached out once more trying to find Maul. Filling her thoughts with the sounds her ears were hearing her teeth clamped down hard on her lower lip in concentration. She thought she felt a flicker but it was gone just as quickly as it made itself known. She could taste blood in her mouth when she was done and her heart ached dully.

The emotionless Kaminoan powered the scanner down and released her before leaving the room. Ana pulled her shirt back on and asked Fett if he was satisfied now.

"It was for your own peace of mind."

he laughed as he shifted a sleeping Boba to his other arm leading the way to the corridor.

"Why are you here bounty hunter?"

she asked

"You obviously reside here, you haven't just come for business, collect a clone pay a fee and leave."

"No, follow me."

he led the way through large arched frames into a transparent hallway and pointed down

"This is why I'm here."

the walls were lined with test tubes and pods containing embryos and foetuses all at different stages of development.

"They're all me."

"But what are they for?"

"A private army"

he replied

"Who for?"

"I don't know, I don't care. I was recruited and I was paid well, the rest is no concern of mine"

He nodded back in the direction that they entered

"Let's go."

"So they keep you here?"

"They need my genetics, but I have downtime to do what I need to do."

"What does a bounty hunter need to do?"

she emphasized the need in her inquiry

"Make money."

"I thought you were paid to be here?"

"Can never make to much money Ana, besides that, I actually enjoy my line of work."

She remained silent for a time as they made their way back to his suite

"What will you do Ana, where will you go?"

He accessed the apartment and turned to face her as he sealed the door closed behind them.

"Do you have a plan for this child, where are you going to raise it?"

"I don't know,"

she admitted quietly

"Will the Nightsisters help you?"

he questioned

"I can shelter you for now, maybe even until after it's born if all goes well. But before long the entire galaxy will be at war and Kamino will be far from the safest place for a child."

"I know,"

she sighed and her shoulders slumped forward, She felt defeated by everything happening, everything that had happened in the past few days.

"You need to tell me everything," He demanded.

"I don't know if I can, not without endangering you."

* * *

"Try me."

Jango folded his arms across his chest and stared her down, the bounty hunter was more than curious now

"I can take care of my own."

he probed for an answer.

"Very well, don't say I didn't warn you beforehand."

He settled Boba and seeing he was fast asleep and in good care with the nanny droid the pair proceeded to the living area.

Sitting in the window seat overlooking the crashing waves Ana told him everything. A complex story of Dark, light, Sith, Jedi, a grand master plan a thousand years in the making for domination. Everything that she knew. Fett absorbed all this information rather nonchalantly.

He wasn't completely surprised, The struggle between the Jedi and Mandalore was still as alive in his mind as if it had happened yesterday. And he had seen first hand what powers Tyranus, the man who had recruited him possessed, he may have been a Jedi once but he certainly was no Jedi now.

"And you know for a fact that Jaggernath is dead?"

"Maul, his name is Maul, Darth Maul, No, I don't know that for certain,"

she admitted, biting her lip and wringing her hands together uneasily.

"I saw he was grievously injured and then nothing but darkness since. Either he is gone, or he's using what little strength he has left to hide." Jango took all this in.

"Can you fight?"

"I can defend myself well enough but I was never officially trained in combat. Maul began to spar with me a little before-"

She stopped abruptly too pained to finish her sentence.

"Well we're going to have to change that, you won't survive two standard days out there alone with no combat skills."

She looked like she was about to protest

"Force proficiency should make combat training easy for you."

He finished firmly. Jango didn't know why but he felt a strange sense of affection for this girl. He didn't want to break from his code of complete self-servitude but something about her compelled him to want to help her, It had from the moment he had handed her that cup of coffee in his dining area when she first arrived. There was something oddly pure about her, she had no real affiliations, no loyalties and only wanted to protect her unborn child.

"Do you want to return to Dathomir? It would be much safer for you."

She seemed to dwell on his advice for just a moment

"I'm more worried my father will expect me to return to my home world and seek me there."

She confessed to him, lines of worry again creasing her forehead.

"I think that will be the first place he looks, you'll be in the clear to return when he learns you are not there. I don't claim to know much about this force stuff, but can you somehow hide yourself from him?"

"Yes, we're safe here, for now at least."

She looked sad as she dwelt on some thought unknown to him,

"I taught Maul to hide his force signature, if he is alive, it's my own fault that I can't feel him."

Jango knelt before her and took her hands in his own.

"Stay here with me Ana, At least until your child is born and you feel comfortable caring for it alone, This is what Jaggernath would want me to do, He saved my life once, he didn't need to do it and I still don't know why he did, Maybe it was just for this, maybe it was fated, just so I would one day aid you, the very least I can do to repay my debt is to help you."

* * *

"Where is she?!"

Sheev was enraged, spinning around he levelled a blaster at him.

"Where is my daughter?"

Bail raised his hands in passivity and took a small step backwards courting the doorway.

"Chancellor, please. I have not seen nor heard from Eiana in days. Please, put the blaster down." The last time Bail saw Eiana had been on the promenade a few days prior where she had made what had seemed to be a decidedly final goodbye, although she had stated that it was not forever. Her eyes had been melancholy and her aura aphotic when Antillies had interrupted them giving her opportunity to slip away from him.

Sheev's hand lowered in defeat, his head along with the weapon and he fell to the floor in failure. Bail rushed to his side.

"I swear to you sir, I do not know her location, you must believe me."

Sheev sobbed, it was a ghastly thing to hear, a broken man who had lost his greatest wealth in all the universe completely beside himself with grief.

"I'm sorry my boy, please forgive me."

Bail helped the newly elected chancellor up from the office floor and aided him into his seat taking the blaster from his frail and quivering fingers.

"I can not begin to comprehend what you are going through but be assured if there is anything I can do to help in this instance I am at your disposal."

He gathered himself and straightened his cloak

"I had every intention of marrying your daughter Sheev,"

Bail spoke softly as though thousands of senators were in the room and he did not want them privy to their conversation.

"I have loved her above all others for quite some time, my heart is broken that she has left us this way."

Sheevs hands grasped his

"Dear boy, don't blame yourself, there is nothing you could've done to prevent this." He brought his hands back to himself and folded them in his lap, suddenly calm and full of resolve.

"I will see her returned, I will stop at nothing to have my daughter by my side."

Bail could only smile, Sheev's words did little to raise his spirits, He knew that Eiana would not return to Coruscant no matter who remained there who loved her.

* * *

Her stare was chilling, yet at the same time broken. Her finger pointed directly at him accusing him and the babe in her arms bawled as he fell to the ground and sobbed into his knees. It was clear to him, the Sith he killed was a lover, a father. But only metres away from him lay his masters still body, Qui-Gon was gone. The father he never knew had been replaced with his master and the Sith Lord had robbed him of his most cherished guidance.

"Don't you see!?"

he shouted through his salty tears in her direction, he could no longer see her through the downfall

"You're not the only one who has lost all that you loved!"

She was silent, as her figure came back into his focus the babe was gone from her embrace and she sat before him, cross-legged and head bowed, her small thin hands cradling her belly. Rain fell all around her, her long black hair plastered to her face and her black cloak seemed to be one with the puddles around it. Enormous waves crashed around her but not one of them touching her. She only watched him remaining in her stoic silence only breaking her gaze with the occasional slow blink.

He lifted his chin from his knees and sniffled back the tears that seemed as though they would never cease, she was so very close to him now, almost close enough to touch. She did not look like any ordinary girl, the way she presented and carried herself she was someone high born and trained in proper etiquette, He felt like he had seen her before but could not place where.

The young woman raised her chin and looked at him once more, her eyes glimmering pools of silver her pupils large dark and empty, he felt a great sadness sweep over him. Was it his? Hers? A combination of both? He wasn't sure but he desperately needed comfort from this great void inside him, perhaps she did too, perhaps this was why the force was connecting them this way.

He breathed in deeply and unwrapped his arms from around his tucked legs, slowly he extended his right hand toward her intending for it to rest on her left knee.

As it was about to make contact her face contorted with fury and a scream of the highest pitch he had ever heard invaded his ears in the most agonizing way. He clapped his hands over them tightly and shrugged his shoulders up fighting off the unwelcome assault on his auditory sense as he fell to his side.

His eyes scrunched shut and as the loud noise began to die off he eased them open and loosened his grip over his ears.

Scrambling to his feet he looked in every direction for her to no avail, she was gone, at least from his vision, her whispers filled his head.

" _You, this is all on you."_

" _You have taken my love from me."_

" _My son will never know his father."_

" _I will avenge him."_

" _You will pay, your life for Mauls."_

The whispers swirled around in his mind like a cyclone building and he found his body braced for the worst when suddenly he woke with a start, sweating, panting in the darkness of the sleeping quarters on the Republic starship.

Obi-Wan reached out for the force and pulled it around him like a warm and consolatory blanket, basking in its warmth and familiarity as he huddled in his bunk in the darkness.

In afterthought, he reached out for the boy, hoping that he had not woken him, Anakin was fast asleep through it all.

Who was she? His mind struggled to piece together the pieces of his dream, though it had transpired only moments ago her face was already fading from his memory.

It was the emotions that stayed with him, the heartache and devastation, like shattered glass they stabbed at him reminding him of the life he had taken, and the life that had been taken from him.

The feelings and the name, Maul, Darth Maul, that was the mysterious Zabrak warriors name.

Yoda, he would meet with Yoda when he returned to the temple, The wise Jedi master would be able to help him understand all of this, he would be able to help him lay these rogue and entirely unwanted thoughts and emotions to rest.

* * *

Ana woke with a shriek grasping for his solid frame for only a moment before she remembered when and where she was. Rain pattered against the transparisteel quietly, she knew his meant it was extremely heavy, it didn't make a sound through the soundproof materials otherwise.

White light filtered into the otherwise dark and quiet room from the passageway and the silence of the apartment was deafening.

The shadow he cast over the bed was not an unwelcome one.

"You ok?"

Jango asked, short and gruff as she had become accustomed to during the past couple of weeks since making Kamino a temporary home.

The bounty hunter had cleared out the spare room of all his equipment and belongings and had the Kaminoans organize a new bed be delivered for her, and as grateful as she was to have space of her own she could not escape the deep loneliness that suffocated her, especially now at night when she was left to the mercy of her dreams.

Ana only nodded in reply, sinking back into the pillows as he crossed the small expanse to sit beside her.

"Nightmares?"

She nodded again, not certain she could find the words to express herself.

Jango cocked his head to the side and held his arm out to her, she pulled herself to him as he circled it around her shoulders

"Nightmares run their course-"

"Not these,"

She replied simply as she drew away from him.

Ana had resigned her heart to the fact that she could no longer feel Maul, and logically the only thing that made sense was that he was dead. She could not let her heart fool her into believing in a false sense of hope that would destroy her as it would likely be one day dashed.

She heard Boba begin to whimper in the next room,

"Go to your son Jango, I'll be fine," she assured him patting his forearm before rolling over to face the dark of night showing through the window. Jango hesitated but when Boba's whimpers became cries he wavered no longer and left her alone.

The solitude scared her, but not as much as her dreams. When she dreamed her emotions were stirred, nettled, and when she awoke like this she was agitated and angered.

The anger she felt terrified her, it threatened to consume her fully, smothering the balance she had trained her whole life to attain.

The temptation was there in her waking hours, the urge to take revenge was overpowering and it took every last ounce of strength she possessed not to take her ship and seek him out.

She could hide from the insatiable urges when she slept, but in her dreams only felt heartache on repeat, she had no guidance, no advice, no idea how to deal with the emotions she felt.

The Darkside shrouded her and she found herself unable to meditate nor find any peace or clarity.

Her heart was still beating rapidly, adrenaline coursing through her body, she couldn't sleep like this.

"How long will this last?"

she whispered to the darkness, but the night had no answers for her.

* * *

"Mother Talzin claims no one has shown in her village matching your daughters description my Master."

Dooku's hologram flickered slightly in and out as he spoke but the audio remained constant

"Do we trust this witch?"

The fallen Jedi asked Sidious with a stroke of his beard, his stern, noble face set in permanent seriousness.

"We cannot trust her, but I do not believe she would risk the lives of her clan by lying to us." The Sith Master paused a moment withdrawn into his thoughts,

"Let it be Lord Tyranus, the girl cannot hide forever. Return to your training, I will be in contact."

He cut off the transmission abruptly as Tyranus bowed to his image.

Sheev stood, removing the hooded cloak and hanging it tidily away in the back of the closet behind the sumptuous and lavish garments he wore every day.

Crossing the room the blinds lifted from the windows on his command, revealing the view from his Senate chambers that had been previously blocked out and he took a seat in the armchair overlooking some small part of the planet-city.

He now knew what the emptiness he felt after the death of his master had been, It had been his daughter. He had never known how heavily he relied upon her counsel until he no longer had it.

Her visions and prophecies had been a valuable asset to him, not invaluable, but they would be sorely missed. As strong and balanced as Tyranus was he did not possess such a foresight as the young Dathomiri did, he was no prophet.

He could still carry on with his plan without The Grey, The destination remained, only the journey would be changed.

It puzzled him that he had not sensed her disloyalty, He was well aware that she had not wanted to become senator after him, That she did not fancy marrying into a family of his choosing, But as far as her purpose in the grand plan he had felt no inkling that she would run, that she would not be by his side when he came to power. Her duty, to the best of his knowledge and keen senses, had given her a sense of purpose.

At one point he had imagined his heart felt heavy at so many losses all at once, but such feelings had been brushed away immediately. He would bide his time, Tyranus would do his bidding until the time was right to bring his new protégé into the fold.

The boy Anakin was the direct result of his masters' experiments, in that he had no doubt after meeting the young human after the battle for Naboo.

The young and newly appointed Jedi Knight, Obi-Wan Kenobi would do his duty and train Anakin, But Kenobi was barely a man, he would try as best he could, but ultimately fail to keep his apprentice on his path, Sheev would make sure of that.

Sheevs thoughts were interrupted by a buzz at the door followed by a young female Rodian intern, Datapad in hand, she spoke to him but her words were barely heard as he took the device from her and went back to his work.


	5. Unsound

Twenty hours, twenty long debilitating hours.

She drifted in and out of unconsciousness barely aware of the quiet bustling around her as the Kaminoans went about their work.

Her head fell to the side and she reached out to him.

"Hush darling, it'll be over soon." Jango. She felt her friend take her left hand and give it a squeeze of reassurance.

Her labour had begun naturally but after so long it had become apparent to everyone that intervention would be needed. Her sons vital signs had plummeted all too quickly and here she found herself now, on an operating table and heavily sedated.

"Is he ok?" her words were slurred, her entire mouth felt dry and indolent, she felt completely helpless. She could make out the bounty hunters features a little better as he rested his elbows on the bed beside her and brushed tendrils of sweat soaked hair away from her face.

"He's going to be just fine Ana, you just need to relax, stay calm for him."

She tried to smile her thanks but was entirely unsure if what resulted was a smile or a grimace.

For almost eight months she had been unable to draw on the calming power of the light side, no matter how hard she had tried, only the presence of the darkness had been her companion.

But now, she could breathe freely, the shroud of the dark side had lifted from her shoulders and calmness washed over her. A spirit so pure and untainted, growing stronger and stronger as each minute passed by.

The long necked aliens continued to work behind the screen that had been erected cutting all view of the lower half of her torso. They communicated in their own tongue, a language she could not make any sense of but she felt no panic or nervousness in their voices.

She was determined to stay awake, to hold Mauls son in her arms at the earliest possible moment, and she drew on the light that had finally returned to her, leaning on it for strength, clarity and support.

Movement stole Jango's attention and he stood peering over the screen for a better view, Ana was not concerned.

She could feel his presence now, he was strong and healthy, his sudden shrill scream confirmed it before Jango could lean back down near her ear to tell her so.

She knew her smile was real this time, every part of her body, that is the parts that she could still feel, revelled joyously in his cries. Hot salty tears streamed down her face, after everything that had happened, the trials that were her life up until this point, the universe, no the force, had granted her this one happiness.

One happiness was all she needed.

She fought through the drug induced haze with the force and felt instantly more alert as her friend left her view for a few moments only to return holding the now clean and dry infant in his arms, gently he laid the child down on her chest his ruddy pink skin felt so very warm against her own and one of the Kaminoan assistants aided him in latching to her breast before pulling the cover up for her modesty.

His tiny face was the most perfect thing she had ever witnessed, his eyes blinked infrequently but appeared to be a pale honey colour, the slightest hints of raised bumps adorned his head where one day crowning vestigial horns would grow through and a heavy thatching of light brown hair surrounded them. Holding his tiny fist in her fingers she smiled up at Fett,

"Thank you," she whispered as he bent to kiss her forehead affectionately.

"I should return to Boba, leave you to rest, but I'll be back." His hand fell from the back of her head as he stood back and she only nodded by way of reply.

"We'll be fine." she assured him somewhat sleepily as she fell back into the pillows yawning silently, when her eyes blinked open again he was gone.

* * *

After several days of rest and bonding Ana was finally awake long enough to hold a conversation, though it was difficult to take her attention away from her new son.

She lay on her side facing him, the boy she had named Kycian for his Dathomirian grandmother was nestled into her chest fast asleep under her doting gaze.

"I wasn't quite prepared for how overwhelming it would feel." she commented softly lifting her chin just enough to make eye contact with him where he sat atop her covers leaned against the headboard, Boba perched in his lap tugging at the buttons of his shirt.

"There is really no way to put it into words," he agreed with her

"You seem a changed person, much, happier."

She exhaled a deep sigh of relief before she replied

"The balance I once possessed deserted me after I lost Maul," she admitted, she looked almost ashamed confessing,

"But now, Kycian has brought light back into my life, I feel complete, like myself again, as though his being here has healed the wound in my connection with the force."

She stroked Kycian's pink cheek clearly not expecting any reply

"I much prefer to see you this way." he reached out taking her hand and clasping it in his own.

It had been a long time since Jango had connected with anyone on this level, he held a soft spot for very few people in his life these days. It had simply been easier not to form romantic attachments since gaining and then losing Sheeka the way he had in the years long since past.

He had tried desperately to brush off the blossoming feelings for the Dathomiri woman but it had been utterly pointless, they weren't going anywhere, it was simply easier to try and hide such feelings away.

Jango respected her, and his respect was not easily gained, The more he learned about her the greater his esteem became.

Initially, upon their meeting he had thought of her as weak, frail and helpless. But after hearing of her birth, childhood and her training, he had realized that her past, albeit very different from his own, was not necessarily easier.

Ana seemed to have given up all hope of Maul returning to her now, but it did not mean she loved him any less fiercely, and with Kycian's birth it was possible she loved the potentially deceased Zabrak more intensely than she ever had prior.

Yet with all of this knowledge, the electric jolt that he felt whenever Jango took Ana's nimble fingers in his never lessened in strength, in spite of him accepting the situation as it was.

There was no pain, just a great sense of disappointment, a dull twinge of emptiness as through she were filling the wrong void in his life.

He bounced Boba on his knee and plastered on an unconcerned look before glancing back at her

"Are you wounds healing well, you don't need Udun to come have a look?"

She rested her head on her left hand, her right still in his grasp, and smiled tightly up at him,

"It's fine, painful, to be sure, but healing, no discharge, no sign of infection, the bacta and synth-flesh are doing their job." she assured him with a slow nod with which her eyes blinked in accord.

"But I would kill twenty men for a coffee." She stated after a long pause a laugh suppressed threatened to escape her, betrayed by the upward tug of her lips and the creases in the corner of her large silver eyes.

Jango blew a sigh through his pressed lips and threw his hands up in mock exasperation directed at his son at her request.

"Women!" he exclaimed "One day you'll understand me boy." He lay Boba down beside Kycian and made Ana swear to not let him move.

Before he left the room he stole one last glance over his shoulder to the woman entertaining his son with a game of peekaboo from behind the pillows, if only life could remain so simple, so perfect.

* * *

Though the light had returned to her now it was a constant struggle to keep the dark energy that surrounded her in check, it exhausted her daily simply to keep the balance and she found herself drawn back to the memory of the vision she had had on Coruscant, the isle, the ancient scales.

Ana still had no idea why the force was showing her this, she had no real power, she was simply a messenger there was little to no chance that anything she said or did could possibly influence her father, or the Jedi, to bring equilibrium back to the force.

She had been able to meditate once more which brought her much comfort but her vision was hazy as if she could sense things that were hidden behind a thick layer of fog, she was unable to reach them, see them.

From her spot nestled in the window seat overlooking the great watery expanse her eyes fluttered open and she checked on her son, still fast asleep in the sleeping pod beside where she sat.

His eyes flickered behind sealed eyelids, was he coming into a state of wake? Or simply dreaming?

What did infants have to dream about? She found herself wondering and she watched him.

She already saw much of Maul in his features and very little of herself, but that was the way with Dathomiri, the Males tended to look more Zabrak than human, the female members taking after their human ancestors.

It was rare indeed that Kycian had not inherited his fathers red skin, and the thick tufts of dirty brown hair were from neither of them, a curiosity to behold,

She wondered if the boy would ever take on the tribal tattoos worn by the nightbrothers, though she was still unsure if it would be safe for her to make the journey to the world of her ancestors.

Her hesitation was rooted in the fear that the darkside seemed to be calling her home to Dathomir, she always knew that the outcast clan of night-sisters practised dark magicks, unlike the light wielding witches that occupied many of the continents of the red world.

What information she had gleaned over years of secretive study was sparse, the world had a very strong force presence and its inhabitants all drew on the force to some extent.

Rancor, huge carnivorous beasts roamed freely on many land masses, though many of the witch tribes had managed to tame them with the aid of the lightside.

What called to her most of all now was the lure of the ancient Sith academy created over a millennia earlier by the brotherhood of darkness, before Darth Bane had extinguished them all and created the rule of two, the rule her father seemed intent on destroying now.

Sheev had located the academy before her birth and she had long since memorized its location on the world, but now she was afraid the dark was drawing her there for nefarious means rather than her own will for means of gaining some ancient knowledge perhaps her father had missed.

Though the most powerful Sith of the day had lived and studied on Korriban, now called Moraband by the Republic, there was undoubtedly highly ranked lords on all worlds in their empire tasked with the oversight and instruction of neophytes, and dictation of the armies at the brotherhoods command.

On both Dathomir and Iridonia were academies dedicated to the training of Sith apprentices, second only to Korriban itself, other worlds in the Sith empire had been dedicated to training much lesser acolytes, assassins and marauders to fight their battles and handle subterfuge.

Such a dark lord could have created a holocron containing their entire life's work, and hidden it away in a deep, dark recess of the sparsely populated planet.

The academy now was no doubt a pile of rubble, overgrown and hiding all its secrets, but her sisters would have a strong connection to such a place as practitioners of the dark magicks, they were as much tools of the darkside as she often time had been under Sheevs tuition.

None of this information answered her internal question however.

Was she simply seeking Sith knowledge to learn how to protect herself when the inevitable time came when she would meet her father again?

Or was she really still Sheevs pawn, and unbeknownst to her he was still pulling all the strings in an attempt to use her to gain more power for himself.

Her father was strong with the force, stronger than anyone she had ever met, he may not be able to sense her, to follow her, to find her, But as much as she hated to admit it their bond may be lifelong. He being her flesh and blood, may give him all the connection he needed to be able to use the force to plant ideas in her subconscious, to subtly guide her into doing his will no matter where she ran, or where she hid.

It was unlikely, she attempted to assure herself, but she could not rule out the possibility, she would not underestimate his power, too much was at stake.

As she pondered Kycian began to stir in the pod, without a second thought she reached out with the force and gave the crib a small nudge causing it to rock side to side in a gentle rhythmic sway on its curved base.

The same crib Boba had slept in, in this very room the first morning she awoke in this place, it felt like an eternity ago now.

Ana slowly stretched out her legs and found her feet before collecting the waking infant up in her arms, It was late now, nearing the middle of the night, she had pondered and meditated for far too long and her meagre energy reserves built back up in the past few days were completely sapped.

Quietly making her way down the short hall to the bedrooms she happened upon Jango and Boba still fast asleep where they rested with her earlier on her bed.

Taking Kycian in one arm she gripped the cover folded neatly at the foot of the bed in her spare hand and pulled it up over the pair, neither shifted at this action, nor when Kycian began to fuss whilst being changed.

After feeding her son on the window seat, her favourite perch, and settling him back into his crib she crawled under the covers on the opposite side from the sleeping pair, lost in her thoughts as she watched them sleep, It always came back to Dathomir, the academy and her father.

And when she finally slept she dreamed of all these things.

A stone alter standing in the centre of a magnificent courtyard lined with statues of the Sith of old. Deep red veeka birds soared high above her head as she wandered through the large and imposing wooden doors of the beautiful structure, the force was here with her, all around her like an old and dear friend.

She explored the vast passageways and the antechambers leading off from them, the mess hall and kitchens, the rooms of learning and the vast library housing walls full of tomes filled with wisdom and knowledge.

Three holocrons sat shielded on stone pedestals, requiring a keeper to release them for acolyte study, She gazed on them in worshipful awe, such knowledge, power, reaching out with her long fingers to touch the nearest one they all vanished before her skin made contact with it's smooth sides.

In its place stood only a crumbling stone stump, barely any mark of its original elaborate carving remained visible after thousands of years, the wooden shelves once containing hundreds of books were now rotted away and the room remained empty but for the dust of a millennium.

She turned in a full circle and as she did her vision was spotted with hundreds of luminous dots, tiny buzzing insects surrounded her halting her movement for the briefest of moments until she realized she felt no ill-intent from these creatures, she was the daughter of Dathomir, descendent of the Sith, she belonged in this place.

They began to swarm towards the exit into the hallway in a harmonious hum like a miniature symphony of Bith musicians playing in the opera house back on Coruscant, clearing a path for her the sparkflies swayed too and fro as though waiting for her to join them in the gloom of the passageways.

They illuminated the way for her to a long undisturbed and seemingly unimportant dreary old door, when she pushed it open it emitted a loud groan of protest and the sparkflies rushed in to show her the way.

A bedchamber coated in a thick layer of grime presented itself to her, The old bunk long since collapsed in on itself, the once presumably soft mattress she could only guess devoured by some kind of mite along with the bedclothes lay atop it reduced the musty shreds of leftover fabric.

The sparkflies flew in a prodding motion to the wreck of a bed in an indication she could only assume was imploring her to explore further, as she pulled and pushed at the old beams and wire that lay in a mass in the corner, shifting them aside piece by piece, a slab of black wood came to light.

She had no means with which to pry it open, the small hole to the left hand side of the slab had presumably once held a rope by which to pull the hatch open, but it was long since rotted away along with the rest of the academy.

Ana was at a loss as to what to do next, she knelt by the hatch in the silence of this place and as though she had forgotten its existence in her state of dreaming recalled that the force was with her.

Reaching out with both her hands and her mind she called upon it now to raise the jammed planks from where they rested in the stone floor.

They resisted her for the most insignificant of moments before flying up from their prostrate position and sending her flying backwards into the far wall of the tight quarters.

The power of the darkside gushed forth from the square of darkness amongst the stones that formed the floor, overwhelming her.

This was it, this was what her father had felt, this was what he had missed, or simply run out of time to discover, Ana knew there was an item of incredible power hidden here, a talisman, perhaps even a holocron of knowledge waiting in the darkness to be brought back into the light.

" _It is yours child, if you have the strength to take it from where it lies."_

She was suddenly wrenched from her contemplation by the shadow looming over her, the sparkflies were startled and made a line for the doorway leaving her alone with the shadow.

" _You're naught but an apparition, this is just a dream."_ She replied unsteadily rising to her feet.

The figure towered over her menacingly

" _Who are you?"_ Ana demanded to know.

The spectre was cloaked and she could not see it's face but the voice indicated it was female, as she came closer Ana was suddenly aware of the cold fire of the darkside chilling her, she shivered and pulled her robes tighter, an instinctive movement that did not ward off the iciness at all.

Glowing yellow eyes appeared from within the shadows of the hood and a low cackling laugh danced around the small chamber

" _I am you, and you are me, we are one."_

Ana shook her head in confusion and suddenly the phantoms hand shot out to grip her wrist, her fingers felt numb, frozen by the apparitions touch and fearfulness spider-webbed its way out from her gut spinning its way all throughout her body paralysing her to the spot.

Ana sat bolt upright, panting, covers clutched to her chest, everything was quiet, the apartment was still.

Slowly laying back down and pulling the covers up under her chin Ana tried to steady her breath and her pounding heart, the fear still coursed through every inch of her being as she tried to absorb the information from her vision, dissect it, analyse it.

Was this vision of her future self? Turned to the darkside?

Or was it actually one of the ancient dark lords and some bizarre riddle meant to perplex her?

She came back to her surroundings as she felt Jango shifting on the other side of the bed, she turned her head as he lifted himself into a sitting position and carefully climbed over Boba who had been between them, Finding a pillow he wedged it on the other side of the sleeping boy to prevent him rolling off the side of the bed and then came to rest beside her studying her face in the dim light.

His hand came up to stroke her cheek gently and his lips parted, his words coming out in a raspy whisper.

"Let me help you."

He didn't know, he couldn't possibly understand, the only one who could help her was herself, Yet in the same thought she knew that she was too fearful to seek the answers, cravenly clawing at any excuse to not have to face these fears, or her destiny.

When she did not reply he simply wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in close to him, confronted by his warmth she realised she was still shivering, bathed in a clammy sweat, her vision crossing over into her reality, giving her one more reason to be afraid.

Reluctantly she allowed herself to nestle into his chest letting the regular thudding of his heart against her cheek lull her back into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

The serpent slithered taciturnly against the twisted and mangled metal plates, one could no longer tell what all the pieces of the puzzle that formed the walls, ceiling and floor of his home had once been, perhaps starship hulls or wings, maybe simply parts of buildings long since destroyed and left as refuse on the foul smelling and toxic fog covered world, where garbage stretched further than the eyes of any being could see.

The blood of the junker spilled into a thick and quickly congealing black puddle in the layer of dirt and continued to drip from the things now very much exposed throat, much slower now adding to the pool.

His fingers were coated and the sticky fluid ran unhindered over his lips and down his chin.

Morley's hungry hisses reeked of impatience and the zabrak glowered in his direction and replied with a raspy and broken hiss of his own as he crouched closer to his meal and biting into the stringy sinewy tissue with sharp and unforgiving teeth tearing flesh away from bone.

The junker tasted like the corrosion of Lotho Minor, foul and caustic, it's body tainted by the destroyed ecosystem but he no longer cared how his meals tasted, only that they gave him strength to stay alive.

It was only after his meal was done he remembered the pain that was to come now, much of his digestive tract had been damaged when the Jedi had carved him in two, and the agony of processing nourishment was unlike anything he had ever known.

His small intestine had been rendered useless, mostly missing, enough of his large intestine remained to absorb some nutrients from what meat and blood the carnivorous zabrak consumed, the pain fuelled his anger and thus the force sustained him otherwise making up for what his body lacked, Most days it was his rage that kept him existing.

The Anacondan now feasted on the remains of the junker while Maul rocked back and forth on the spider-like appendages he had built for himself, teetering, never quite able to adjust to balancing on his new limbs, he covered his blood soaked face with shaky palms.

" _Through passion I gain strength."_

The ancient words of Sorzus Syn resounded over and over in his head as he clawed at his face with filthy and badly overgrown fingernails, as he did so what remained of his organic body quaked as the mechanical legs, barely holding together through his rage wobbled dangerously close to collapse.

His knowledge of the ancient Sith art of Mechu-deru was limited, spending time pursuing the study of the work of the Dark Lord Belia Darzu had not been his favourite of subjects under his masters tutelage, but the small periods of examination had sufficed well enough and he had managed to bind his fragile volition to the conglomeration of materials now supporting him, imbuing them with the power of the force itself the fragments moved with very little grace but a certain sense of determination.

 _The Force shall free me...The Force...The..."_

the words stayed in his head as the young male emitted only a low piercing complaint of pain ending in a sudden whelp as he doubled over in physical torment and mental anguish.

Through it all he had managed to keep his shield up, hiding his signature from the galaxy, his primary focus had been to hide his defeat and disgrace, from his master, and from the woman he loved.

It would not do to be seen this way, vulnerable, weak, his weakness was pitiful and filled him with self loathing, a loathing that angered him allowing him to continue to draw upon the darkside to rebuild his strength.

But no amount of strength could heal his broken body from it's wounds, it was not the way of the darkside to heal and so his body remained unsound.

No amount of strength could fuse the fractures in his frail mind where insanity threatened to creep in day after day and so his mind remained unbalanced.

His limbs suddenly gave out the underbelly of his mechanical body smashing against the floor of the underground cavern, the metallic clang echoing around and then around again, spider legs recoiled and curled up tightly to the metal abdomen as his fists slammed into the fire pit before him, weak flames licking up his arms.

At first they were met with a howl of pain, then a sob embodying each and every drop of his weakness, but then came the rage, it coursed through him riding on the wave of dark energy and through a now outstretched palm where it swept over the pit extinguishing the blaze as ones exhalation would snuff out a weakly burning candle.

Mauls eyes glistened in place of the flames, gleaming and enraged the plumes of smoke stinging them to tears.

Morley gulped down one last mouthful, then the Sith Lord heard his serpentine body snaking its way as fast as he could move away from the lair.

In the outburst of rage that ensued Maul lost control, only for the briefest of moments and his shield dropped, exposing him.

He had lost all concept of time on this stinking, desolate world, how long it had been since he began his self enforced exile?

Time mattered not, loneliness swept over him now, for when his guards fell for that one instant there was no one probing for him, no one reaching out through the force to see that he still lived, caring enough to believe that he may have survived.

Since the time Ana and he had illicitly and irrevocably bonded on Coruscant their connection had remained strong, now he felt nothing, as though that bond had been severed along with his body.

And with that realization, Maul, he who had remained so strong in his resolve to survive this trauma intact, now shattered into countless fragments of the man he had once been, the madness finally gripping him in its cold embrace as he collapsed to the dirt and wept.


	6. Chicanery

Ana basked in the sunshine that bathed her pale face, She didn't think she had seen sunlight since back on Coruscant, nearly 2 years ago, That day so long ago when Bail had walked her around the Senate rotunda. Rare it was for the sun to peek through the clouds and wash Tipoca city in its warm light, according to Jango it only happened a couple of times per standard year, a scarce day where the rain went, wherever it went, long enough for him to enjoy a dry day of fishing.

So Ana was tasked with watching Boba and Kycian play with a hoverball on the small, wedge-shaped, landing platform between the hive like structures of Tipoca city, the end of which protruded from between the constructions in a rounded overhang, boasting new child-safe panellings to keep the boys away from the edge and a gate out to a small flight of stairs leading to another sheltered fishing platform that the older of the two Fett's had disappeared down over an hour earlier.

The private landing pad had become home to Ferine, alongside Jangos pride and joy, the Firespray class interceptor Slave I.

The past year Ana had earned her keep by assisting the Kaminoans in whatever capacity they saw fit, one day she would be in the geneticist's laboratory, the next in the kitchens, the day after the nursery, helping care for the infant clones. Though they were all genetic replicas of Jango their emerging personalities were all vastly different. Some infants slept and cooed, others were restless and screamed, all were assigned numbers which bothered her greatly, it felt wrong, these were human beings no matter the circumstances that had brought them into this life. She wondered if it would have galled her so before she became a mother, likely not, she knew, she cared of very little of such things before.

Now she had her own free will and could exercise independent thought without the iron fist of Sheev controlling her thoughts and actions. Her fierce maternal instincts had only grown since Kycians' birth, he was her entire world, she would die if it meant that he could live, but above all else she wanted him to simply live, a life of normalcy, a childhood she had never been permitted, to become a man who was not broken and tortured.

She debated with herself whether or not to teach him of the force, maybe it was more of a curse than a blessing, what he did not know, what skills he did not possess, he could never be used for. Should Sheev ever discover he existed it was in his favour to not wield the force in any way or he would never stop hunting him until he possessed him as an instrument of his own, in the same way, he would continue to silently search for her. It was inevitable and never-ending.

She was conflicted still over joining her kin on Dathomir, undecided and unsure if she wanted to be a Nightsister, to wield dark magicks would be more temptation on top of the constant pull of the dark side that even now persisted in its efforts to seduce her. Ana felt even more uneasy about Kycian being admitted to the Nightbrother clan and what that would mean for him, would he be strong enough for a title, to become a weapons master, healer, or shaman of the tribe, someone indispensable? Or would he be another head of cattle in the herd like the other warrior men, fodder, a mere mate for a Nightsister who would end his life as though it were worthless when he had played his part in a fertility rite?

That fate was not good enough for her son.

Ana watched the boys play, patting the hovering sphere back and forth in the general direction of the other, running on unsteady feet to collect it after the other boy missed their target.

Boba was now two, thoughtful and quiet, self-assured and capable, Kycian only 6 months younger was his polar opposite, he was always talking even when his words became jumbled and no longer made sense he continued to chatter, his smile hinted at his huge stores of charisma and cheekiness, he thought himself invincible and was constantly covered in scrapes and bruises in testament to his impulsiveness.

Before her eyes he tripped chasing after the hoverball, skidding on the surface of the landing platform on his hands, Ana braced herself for the frequently heard yelp of pain and began to pick herself up from the ground to go to him, but this time there were no cries, the small boy climbed to his feet and without so much as a glance at his bleeding palms continued in his chase after the toy. She eased herself back down into her cross-legged position, she could deal with his wounds later, no viruses so terribly sinister resided in Tipoca city, cleaning his abrasions could wait until his play was over.

Her head turned in Jango's direction, she felt him before she heard or saw him, or more rightly, before she saw his fish, he passed through the gate fish first, like a proud young boy showing off his catch a wide smile across his face.

Boba and Kycian forgot all about their toy and ran to see, it was then in the waning sunlight that it suddenly and quite unexpectedly all came back to her.

Since Maul's death, her abilities had diminished, she had not been able to probe into anyone's thoughts or feelings at any depth at all.

Until now, as Jango's eyes met hers across the landing pad and all his feelings flooded over the walls that had been disconnecting her from the force, uninvited, strong and revealing.

Emotions she would never in her wildest dreams have assumed he possessed, emotions for her that took her back and made her gasp aloud and draw her knees up to her chest where she sat.

He was oblivious to her thoughts as he neared calling out to her to open the doors for him.

Ana staggered to her feet and tried to inwardly gather her composure. He made his way past her and inside and she busied herself with the two boys, gathering up their things and ushering them after him, sealing the doors and chasing Kycian who had detoured off down an adjoining hallway and attempted to begin a conversation with a bewildered lowly Kaminoan worker.

Ana uttered an apology in Kaminoan and scooped her son up before rushing back to the suite, she slowed halfway in an attempt to collect herself, she didn't know how to feel, how she was supposed to feel.

* * *

"You're contaminating our dinner." Jango playfully bumped Ana aside with his hip as he snapped the second glove on.

She scowled and ran her bloody hands under the warm water, pierce marks and slices littered her fingers and palms from the roller-fishes' sharp spines that Jango now took to with a skilled ease, deftly removing them one at a time until none remained jutting from the scaly surface.

He had prepared the fish dozens of times before, It was good eating, well worth all the work it took to gut, de-spine, de-scale and de-bone, this particular fish was on the smaller side in comparison to others he had caught before but more than enough to feed the four of them and make a broth out of the leftovers.

A curl of thick black hair fell over his right eye as he cast them down to the task at hand, the fine lines in his forehead creased in his concentration as he sliced the fish into portions, and for the first time, she could not look away.

How could it be that a moment in time, one simple revelation, could change one's entire perception of another being? Jango had taken her in, made his home her own and expected nothing in return for doing so, he had never so much as hinted that he had cared for her in any other way than a close friend, she had never caught his gaze or suffered an infraction of their unspoken arrangement.

He had never acted inappropriately toward her, only shown her kindness and friendly affection.

Ana was not accustomed to this total self-control, Where Maul had wanted to respect her he struggled at the best of times to contain his most primal urges, Jango was his polar opposite, controlled, dissimulating. She poured a flask of wine and perched on a stool across the counter from him, one eye on the boys, freshly bathed and playing in their sleepsuits in the living area, the other covertly studying the older Fett in this new light.

The wine went down possibly too easily, the suite filled with the strong scents of frying roller-fish no matter how high Jango turned up the kitchenette extractors, and the selection of salty sea-weeds wilted away in a hot pan of the remaining fish juices.

Dinnertime was always relaxed in their blended home, the boys were noisy, messy and wild, clean-up was a chore worth all the smiles the production of the mess brought.

She kissed Kycian goodnight as Jango juggled both squirming boys in his arms, it was his turn to put them to bed while she cleaned, this meant headspace and more wine whilst she worked, and it suited her just fine.

When he returned to the living area she was finished, curled on the curving couch, wine glued to her palm, a canister of Mandalorian whisky and a second flask laid on the table for him.

Ana rested her forehead on her free hand, avoiding eye contact, now that all was quiet and the boys were asleep she felt awkward, her heart beat fast and her fingers tugged at her hair gently, a nervous trait she had only developed since leaving Coruscant.

Did he have to sit so close to her? His hand reached out along the back of the couch taking her wrist in his fingers and pulling the heel of her hand away from where it rested on the bridge of her nose, covering her eyes, and leaving her nowhere else to look.

"Is everything ok?" Jango squeezed her fingers gently, his dark eyes looked uncertain, though the rest of his countenance appeared relaxed. Ana smiled weakly back at him,

her silence caused him to frown, the creases in his brow showed again as he took the glass from her other hand and set it down on the tabletop, turning in his seat to face her he took both her hands in his own.

"What is it?" His words were as short and brusque as they had ever been but she could feel the emotion behind them, he wanted to know, he cared enough to want to know that she was alright.

"I felt something today, for the first time in a long time, I closed myself off from the force after Ky's birth to stay balanced but in a daydream, I slipped into old meditative habits." She trailed off, questioning whether this was a door she wanted to pass through, even if she closed it again things could not be the same as they had been until this point. _But could they ever really be now that I know?_

She stumbled on her words, they sounded much better in her head but when they rolled off her tongue they tripped upon one another in her rush to get them out, before she lost her nerve.

"I felt everything Jango, every thought and feeling you have, for me." She bowed her head ashamed, scared to look him in the eye, afraid she had made a grave mistake.

The silence must have only lasted seconds, but it felt like an eternity, all she could hear was her pulse pounding in her ears until he broke the silence with his chuckle, softly gripping her chin and levelling her gaze with his.

"How I felt was never a secret Ana, you just weren't ready to see it, and I've done my best to respect that." His hand slid across her face and his thumb caressed her cheek, she wanted to look away "You're strong, intelligent, absolutely beautiful, how could I not be in love with you?"

Ana was completely taken aback by the entire exchange, perhaps she was too accustomed to Coruscant's politics, the webs politicians wove around them, the lies, deceits, misdirections, Jango's complete honesty astounded her more than a little and left her slightly dazed in its wake.

Her eyes searched his for the longest time, his hand did not shift from her face and his stare did not break from hers.

"Don't do this if you feel it isn't right." He whispered, making the right decisions had never been her strong suit, She had disregarded the affections of Bail, a good, kind and just man, for Maul, a rash, brash and unpredictable man instead.

Her instincts were clearly askew, defunct, His mouth parted as if he were going to speak again when she threw her arms around his neck and her lips stopped him abruptly, she let herself melt in his quick embrace.

It had been too long since she had felt a loving touch, fingers tangled in her hair, pressing into her spine, grasping, needing her as much as she needed them.

Gone was the point in time to make a decision, her body had made one for her.

* * *

There was no regret when she awoke, Jango snored peacefully beside her, clutching at a pillow and the sun peeked through the semi-closed shutters beaming stripes of light across his back, the apartment was still as she wrapped herself in a robe and made her way to the refresher to wash.

Work never ceased on Kamino, Ana was needed in the nursery, while she hated the idea human life was being created to fuel someone's war machine, she could not help but love the babes she tended to, the nursery was her favourite place outside of these walls.

Nursery A was a long, spacious, well-lit hall, transparent cribs lined one side, change and bathing stations ran through the middle of the room separating the sleeping area from the feeding and stimuli sections.

Interactive touch-screens on the end of each crib synced with a programmed chip in each infant and provided data on their vitals and statistics when their last change had occurred, their last wash, meal, playtime. All of their medical histories were accessible, vaccinations, any illness or anomalies noted with the greatest of care and diligence.

"good morning darling." Ana cooed as she lifted 437 from his bed and gently wiped crusted sleep from the corner of his eye, the clone cooed back at her, his smile wide, 437 was the chattiest of this batch, and she fondly referred to him as Chatter when the Kaminoans were out of earshot.

It was wrong to have a favourite, but Chatter always made her smile, made being away from her own boy for the day all the more bearable.

After he was bathed and dressed she handed him over to one of the feeding droids and repeated the process alongside nanny droids until all one hundred in this hall were clean, fed and in their stimuli capsules. Datapad in hand Ana moved in rows up and down the contained vessels designed to stimulate the infants' mind and fast-track their motor skills and cognitive function, the datapad displayed a readout on each machine as she passed and it was her job to ensure all were functioning correctly and running the correct programs. Typically a Kaminoan would do this job, but it was simple enough, and she enjoyed keeping her mind busy.

As she worked a feeling of unease came over her, reminding her of an earlier time and another place, darkness, a shift in the force that made her stomach churn and her heart thud in dreaded anticipation.

Concealing her panic and pulling the force around her to ensure her signature was still hidden, Ana quickly glanced around the room but saw nothing out of the ordinary, bowing her head she gazed at the datapad without seeing it, tapping at the screen in an automated action grown from a year of running this training system she glanced around quickly again, this time upward in one sweeping movement across the viewing balcony above.

What she saw chilled her, standing beside Taun We and Fett was a tall elderly man, grey hair smoothed back from a noble face, cloak pinned at his chest and flowing over his shoulders, what she felt through the force as his eyes met hers terrified her, there was only two Sith, and he was one of two parts.

The dark side oozed from his very presence, ominous and dangerous.

She swallowed and forced herself back into her work as if nothing were wrong when she stole a glance up again all three were gone.

* * *

Anger overtook her, though she could feel his pain, his regret, she couldn't bring herself to care.

"I trusted you!" Ana stuffed the last of Kycian's clothing into a travel pack and spun to face Jango, standing not a metre away from her arms folded across his chest, tears clouded her vision before overflowing and running down her face. "I trusted you, and all along you knew, you knew who this army was for, you knew this Tyranus was Maul's replacement, you lied to me!"

He said nothing, only bowed his head resigning himself to his guilt.

"You knew the danger you were putting us in, but that was not as important as your own selfish desires, tell me, what good is your love for us if we are gone, or dead?"

He had no answers, or if he did he kept them to himself and she continued to throw what little she possessed into a second pack, only pausing to wipe away tears.

"Please, Ana, I have no excuses, you're right, I'm selfish," He reached a hand into his pocket before stepping toward her and taking her hand "An apology probably means nothing to you right now, and I understand that, just, try not to judge me too harshly." He pressed something small and smooth into her palm "You need to go now."

Ana opened her fingers, the smooth elongated crystal was stained a crimson red and sparkled dully under the white light, and she frowned at him

"Kyber crystal, an acquaintance scavenged it after the battle of Naboo figuring it would be worth something to a collector, I was holding onto it until the right moment," He closed her fingers around the stone, "It was Mauls." he nodded slightly before leaving the room.

She had no time to dwell on the stone and tucked it into her travel suit hip pocket before slinging a pack over each shoulder and hurrying to collect Ky from the living area.

She dropped to her knees and gathered both Boba and Ky close, kissing Boba fiercely on the forehead, her heart felt like it was tearing apart, she had come to love Boba like her own over the past two years.

"Always be good for you father my boy, grow brave and strong, We love you, we will see you again, I promise." She gave him a squeeze before rising from the floor with both toddlers in her arms and handing Boba over to his father, Jango grabbed at her hand and pulled her in to plant a kiss on her cheek.

"I will always have you in my thoughts love, I'm so sorry." She could only nod in way of reply, avoiding his eyes she left the apartment as quickly as humanly possible.

* * *

The bloody sun dove down behind the rugged hills as Ana lowered the boarding ramp and breathed in the first lungful of her homeworld, her heart was full, the sadness that engulfed her upon her departure from Kamino, the betrayal that had cut like a fine vibro-blade left her, if only temporarily, in the wake of growing joy. Kycian on her hip reached a small hand to her face, a giggle escaping his lips, wet with drool from sharp incisors cutting through. Pulling him close she stroked his soft and ever darkening hair.

"We're home my son." her whisper piercing the dusk, sounding entirely out of place amidst the chirp and flutter of insect life. Rattles and rustles of lizard and serpent met her ears from the tree line which bordered the clearing where Far had set them down.

The distant roar of something she could only guess was a rancor sent a chill running up her spine. There was all the time in the galaxy to explore this world, and they would, she gazed down on Ky and ruffled his hair before turning around and heading back inside Ferine, sealing the exit behind her.

Ana instructed Far to scan the ship for any tracking devices before fixing Kycian some supper, she already missed real food, drink that wasn't recycled. And Kycian continued to search high and low for Boba, confusion visible in his little face as he hunted for his brother.

She had tortured herself with second-guessing the entire trip, and continued to do so, had she been rash or hasty? Should she have heard Jango out, let him explain himself? No, the risk was too great, Tyranus had seen her, If he had recognized her she may have only just escaped in time.

She dwelt on all her mistakes as she watched her son eat, her own supper left untouched, She trusted them all, far too easily, and she would not lend her trust so willingly again. Too long had she been manipulated, too often she had been used to fulfil others selfish wants and needs, It was now the time to stand alone, to serve only herself, to devote herself to her son, If only Maul could see him now, how proud he would be and she could not help but wonder how Kycian might have changed him had they both escaped.

Far interrupted her thoughts declaring that there were no traces that his sensors could identify aboard the craft nor on the hull, she thanked her metallic companion and felt a surge of relief, perhaps Jango's love came from the purest of intentions, and while he had not been honest with her, maybe, just maybe, he had not intentionally betrayed her trust, perhaps her and Kycian were as safe as they could ever possibly hope to be.

Ana requested Far shut down all systems, with the exception of the blackout lights and that he put himself into low power mode until the morning she wanted quiet, her thoughts would be noise enough.

A new day brought with it the promise of a new beginning, Far synced a wrist-pad, found in the bottom of a supply cache, with the ship's systems so he could be re-activated and track her should the need arise. Ferine was sealed shut via the same wrist-pad and Ana drew the force all around her to mask her presence as she began to trudge through the undergrowth in the direction of the ridges the dying sun had disappeared over the previous night.

She did not know the location of the Nightsister settlement, but scans had indicated a high density of life halfway up the mountain ranges, so beautifully capped with white snow to the east of the hilltops and what better place did she have to start her search?

Ana aimed for their general direction, with Kycian strapped to her chest and a heavy pack on her back it was slow travelling, The brisk autumn air threatened her with the coming winter chill, the leaves drifting to the dirt in a glorious rainbow of yellows, oranges and browns crunching underfoot, mud began to collect on the bottom edging of her thick zyed robe, weighing her down as if it were a physical manifestation of all the memories the garment had seen with her since her time on Coruscant, she found herself constantly pulling it tightly around her son to protect her child from the cold.

The red sun travelled with her casting a warm hue over everything it touched, by the time it sat nestled in the crags of the looming mountain, she had come to the edges of a bubbling river, it's banks untouched, not trampled, this was not a place animals frequented for water and she felt safe to set up the shelter before losing the light of day.

After the tent was erected she wrapped Kycian in a thermacover and prepared a ration pack for him before tasking herself to scrubbing her filthy robe in the shallow edges of the watercourse, wringing it out with her frozen fingers and draping it over a low hanging branch near the low burning fire.

Ky in her arms, the both of them now swathed in the blanket, body heat warding off the cool night air, she sang to him softly and rocked him in her weary arms. Her eyes became heavy as a large yellow moon replaced the blood-red sun, day giving way graciously to the dark of night, where the sky glittered from the speckles of distant stars, Nocturnal bugs came to life, singing their night-time compositions, flitting back and forth in the dying light of the fire where she still sat cradling the now sleeping boy in her lap.

The spitting of sparks from the flames seemed to increase as it's light dimmed and Ana forced her sleep-laden eyes to blink awake, the sparks were no sparks at all, but rather small winged insects glowing a radiant orange, she had seen these creatures before, and her mind was drawn back to the dream she had first seen them in years earlier on Kamino, these were the spark flies that had led her through the passages of the temple.

She had hoped that it was simply an illusion her mind had conjured up from the stories and legends her father and droids had taught her in her childhood on Mustafar, though this was rarely the case with her visions, and these spark flies seemed to flutter about aimlessly in the plumes of smoke, small chance they were trying to communicate anything to her, her shoulders relaxed from the tension she hadn't even noticed, and she allowed herself a smile as she watched the bugs circle her small camp.

As she shifted in her seat on the hard dirt something dug into her hip, and she remembered the stone Jango had given her, in her rush to leave Wild Space she had forgotten it.

Reaching inside the blanket with her free hand she withdrew it and studied it in the firelight, It was almost as long as her smallest finger with six perfectly smooth sides tapering off into a point at each end.

The colouration was odd, as though a red liquid had washed over it and absorbed unevenly into the gem leaving patches of discolouration and spots of deep garnet, The longer she held the stone in her palm the colder it felt, for a stone considered to be alive she could not help but wonder if this one had passed on with its owner.

Returning it to her pocket she rose slowly and tucked Ky up in the shelter before returning to the fireside with her tramping pack, fishing around inside until she came across a toolkit she proceeded to wrap thin wiring around the stone, securing it tightly to a thin cord and fastening it around her neck.

Ana took a final long look at it before tucking it inside of her undershirt and holding her hands out to the fire to warm them from their activity in the cold air.

She must have been lost in her thoughts for hours before she finally turned in for the night, dousing the fire with water from the river she crawled into bed with her son, her sleep was restless, she tossed and turned and woke herself crying out.

At one point a lizard dropped from the overhanging tree and scurried across the top of the shelter waking Kycian who cried bewildered and refused to be hushed back to sleep.

* * *

When he finally drifted off again the sun was beginning to rise, the warm rays hit the fabric of the shelter and warmed the air outside of their covers, Ana unfurled and stretched her arms above her head before her hands came to rest on her chest, her fingers absently playing with the crystal suspended between her clavicles.

Maul was gone, but she felt closer to him here, this was his world too, his family were as much a part of it as her own and it brought her a small amount of comfort, perhaps she would have the opportunity to meet them all very soon.

Bringing herself into an upright position she pulled on a clean hose and wrestled with the laces on her boots and straps on her robe. Unfastening the opening the sunlight blinded her momentarily and she shielded her eyes trying to adjust to the change with rapid blinks.

"Good morning sister."

Startled Ana lost her balance, almost falling on Ky before scrambling to her feet outside of the shelter, The woman sitting near the cold firepit was middle-aged, her hair greying must have once been a vibrant auburn and was braided all the way down her back, she wore heavy furs and thick hide boots and gloves.

"How long have you been watching us?" Ana looked around anxiously

"Don't worry child, I'm alone, I am exiled from my clan." The elder woman reached down to her side where she had deposited a stack of twigs and broken branches, she began to place them in the pit and poke dry leaves in all the empty spaces before using a small piece of flint and a small knife to light fire to the tinder.

Before long the fire was blazing once more and the stranger pulled a pouch from within her clothing, opening it to reveal dried meats and winter berries before offering them to the younger woman, Ana shook her head firmly.

"You'll change your mind," she said biting into a strip of meat a smile pulling at her weathered cheeks.

"Who are you, what do you want with me?"

"The question is my dear, what do you want with the Singing Mountain clan?" She gestured up the ranges today covered in clouds near the peaks. Ana shook her head,

"I want nothing from them, I only seek directions."

The other woman chuckled and swallowed her mouthful before replying.

"No Mountain clan sister will give you directions Nightsister, they would sooner kill you before let you speak" She adjusted her position as though uncomfortable "But you, you are not like any Nightsister I have ever encountered, you're an off-worlder, and that child of yours is like you, Dathomiri by blood, but not of our world." She winked past Ana to where Ky sat sleepily observing in the shelter's entrance. "Handsome one he is, much prettier than those Nightbrothers, come, child, don't be shy."

Kycian crawled to his mothers' side and clung to her still studying the stranger.

"I am Rhona, formerly of the Singing Mountain clan, exiled for practising the dark magicks forbidden by my people, I live alone, not far from here, let me teach you of this world, show you how to stay safe and survive. Perhaps in time you will change your mind about joining the Nightsisters, perhaps you won't, but I will have offered you another path nonetheless, that is enough for my conscience."


	7. Apostasy

The light breeze rustled through the evergreen forest leaves rippled in unison as snowflakes swirled slowly through the branches, sticking to the already heavily laden boughs, the remainder lazily floating to the ground.

Kycian squealed in delight as he stumbled through the drifts, chasing the wet cold crystals, Rhona on his heels ensuring he did not wander too far from the thatched cabin.

Winter had come all too quickly, forcing Ana and her son to abandon the temporary shelter, driving them indoors to the warmth and safety of Rhona's small home.

Ferine had been snowed down weeks earlier, the loading ramps were frozen solid, unable to be opened from the inside or out, stranding them at the base of the singing mountain.

They could not make the journey to the Nightsister's territory during this season, Rhona had warned her of snowstorms severe enough, that according to legend, they even drove the Rancor to begin winter hibernations many moons ago.

Brushing the snow off a nearby fallen tree Ana sat to take the weight from her tired feet, Rhona and Kycian were still within an earshot but now out of her sight and she pulled the wrist-pad from within her robe, Far, as instructed, had forwarded all messages on a scrambled frequency directly to her, she had watched the hologram countless times alone at night, as she watched it again now, with bitter tears forming in her eyes.

"Wherever you are, I only hope that you're safe."

Jango's face froze at the end of the transmission, the face that had once made her feel safe and protected now made her feel only sadness.

Rhona had realised before she had herself, the elder woman felt the life growing inside her, while Ana had been too busy wallowing in her grief and self-pity.

This should be a happy time, she looked back and recalled feeling the joy that grew in Maul's hearts when he discovered he was going to become a father, she didn't think she could find the strength within herself to contact Jango, much less tell him, she wondered if this made her the most terrible being who ever lived, until she remembered exactly how he had betrayed her, annihilated all trust between them, and endangered her son.

Of course, this new life would be potentially in every bit as much danger as Kycian was, now that her father undoubtedly knew of his existence, perhaps it was kinder to terminate this pregnancy than to bring another innocent life into harm's way.

Every time she had this thought she envisioned Boba's sweet little face, kind and thoughtful, and she lost all resolve to ask Rhona to brew the draft that would end it all before it could truly begin.

She remembered holding Maul's son for the very first time, feeling the ethereal completeness that motherhood brought to her, and she knew that she could not go down that path.

But how fair would it be to birth a child, only to have them live a life on the run? dragging them from one side of the galaxy to the other to keep them concealed from her father, that was no life for any child.

Ana switched the wrist-pad off and tucked it away as she heard the pair returning, upon looking up Kycian's happy face greeted her from afar, cheeks rosy red from the cold air, furs encrusted with a fresh dusting of snow, bright purple juices from winter berries thawing in his fists, ran down his hands and rolled inside his sleeves.

There was no love purer than his embrace as he hurled himself into her arms and offered up his smooshed berries, which made her stomach churn, but she took one nonetheless and popped it into her mouth swallowing quickly while his little face beamed with pride.

Rhona followed not far behind, her arms full of freshly dug roots to skin and throw in her forever boiling stew pot.

Ana preferred not to ask what else had gone into the cauldron hanging over the hearth inside the cabin, all manner of lizard, rodent and fowl no doubt.

"This should be enough," Rhona grunted as she trudged through the snowfall "Are you feeling alright child?" hoisting the bag filled to overflowing with berries up to re-adjust it on her shoulder her eyes narrowed on Ana.

She stood with her son in her arms and smiled tightly,

"I'm just fine."

Rhona nodded slightly and plodded forward toward shelter with Ana following in the path she made through the snow.

When they had first landed on this world the wilds had been alive with the sound of life, but the cold season was eerily silent, it seemed not only the Rancor went into hibernation during this season, the only creatures she had seen seemed to be what Rhona created her fur coats and throws from, small curious creatures with pointed ears, long legs and bodies, bushy tails, luxuriant fur, darker than night, that moved faster than the eyes could follow, or large lumbering beasts with long shaggy grey hides, strong, scaled tails, and three horns crowing their oversized heads, Rhona referred to simply these creatures as 'The Wanderers.'

The evening dragged out much as the cold season itself, while the daub prevented much of the chill, they still huddled close to the fire, Ana observing as Rhona entertained Kycian with Magicks, causing all his berries to float up from his plate with a few words and a flourish of her hand, or changing the smoke rising from the fire from black to a red as bright as the Dathomir sun.

The decision to let Kycian learn the Magicks, the Force, had not been made lightly, but for his own protection she had relented, deciding it was better that he had some rudimentary understanding, if only to defend himself.

Often she flipped through the tattered old leather-bound books Rhona kept on the single rough-hewn shelf in the corner of the cabin, they smelled of the cured meats she kept only a shelf below them, but were filled with scratchings in a near undecipherable text, It kept her mind busy learning this new written word and the spells these words kept hidden.

Rancor, a word she recognized, and her brow wrinkled as her mind sought to translate the next words, how to subdue, or was it control?

A sharp pain struck her stomach causing her to gasp, she could feel Rhona's eyes on her but the older woman kept Kycian's attention, Ana wrestled mentally with the pain and felt between her thighs tentatively, when she withdrew her had from inside the furs her fingertips were stained red with blood.

Dread filled her, it was not supposed to happen like this, this was her decision to make, no invisible force or fate would make it for her.

As Rhona spied her blight her dark brown eyes narrowed in worry, she eased out of her seat as quickly as her body would allow with the cold affecting her ageing joints, and reached for a small urn hidden out of sight low down on her shelving, gripping it tightly in one hand she pried off the lid and reached inside, collecting a fistful of brilliant green powder, her lips barely moved as she knelt at the hearth and uttered words Ana did not yet understand, as she sprinkled the fine powder into the flames.

Rhona dusted off her hand on her furs and took Kycian by the hand.

"Time for bed child, say goodnight to your mother."

Anas' face was pale, her body cold, but she forced a warm smile and kissed Ky softly, wishing he sleep well, As the pair disappeared behind the draping of hides that separated the living area from the beds, Anas smile melted and she clutched at her abdomen, stifling groans of pain, doubling over, feeling blood trickling down the inside of her thigh.

Every fibre of her being willed the bleeding to stop, she tried to take deep and calming breaths but the panic kept welling back as if unabated by her silent plea to the Force, It seemed as if forever had passed before Rhona scurried back into the room, crouching by her side, rubbing her back.

"Breathe easy daughter, help is on its way."

Ana feared whoever she had summoned would arrive much too late, but gave Rhona a tight smile and took a deep breath into her shaky lungs, trying to release it as slowly as possible, Sitting back on her haunches, focusing on inhaling and exhaling until she fell into a deep meditation that numbed the pain of the contractions of her stomach.

This time it felt like no time at all had passed when she was roused from her peaceful state by the cabin door being hurled open.

She was tall, taller than Ana by at least a head, her shoulders broad, and as she removed her hood long and unkempt auburn hair dropped past her shoulders.

"Mother, what is this?"

The newcomer looked angry, beyond angry, furious, dark eyes wild as her gaze settled on the pale-skinned patient, her eyes darted around the room, falling on the stained furs discarded to the side.

"You called me here to aid a Nightsister?!"

"I called you here to save the life of an innocent babe."

Rhona spoke softly, but with such authority, as Ana had not heard before, if she were not already frightened, she would be now.

Rhona introduced the younger woman as Dathani, her daughter, accoucheuse of the Singing Mountain Clan, Witchdoctor who birthed all of the children in their village.

Dathani moved quickly, pulling aside Anas robes and pressing an ear to Ana's heart, again to her belly, before feeling her taught abdomen with her hands for several minutes.

"There may be enough time." She had muttered as she began withdrawing jars, bottles and vials from her pack.

"This is an old medicine child, but I have seen for myself that it will work, it will help to save your child." Rhona shifted aside to allow Dathani some space to work.

Dathani fetched an apron full of snow from outdoors and emptied it into a large glass jar, held it over the flames to melt the crystals until only water remained, powder after powder was added and stirred in individual rituals, Dathani chanting all the while, several roots dropped in through the narrow bottleneck, and it was left suspended for some time over the heat to allow the warmth to draw ingredients from within them.

Ana did not know how she estimated how much time had transpired, but Dathani pulled the bottle from the flames and set it aside to cool, all the while glowering in silence.

Rhona had moved back in by Ana's side, speaking softly, or even singing to keep her calm.

Ana was surprised by her own despair, This was a life she had not known if she had wanted to live or let live, and now she knew, this life was precious, this life needed to live.

So she willed the Force again to save this small spark of life that so frailly clung to her, she would pay whatever price the universe wished.

When the elixir had cooled to tepid, Dathani brought it to her and indicated she drink, the murky grey concoction smelt horrid and burned her throat as it went down, leaving her lips and tongue numb.

Dathani continued her chant, her hands moving in specific patterns coming to rest on Ana's belly, her body tried to reject the potion and she found herself swallowing back the bitter fluids that found their way into her mouth.

Rhona continued to hush and comfort her, bringing her cool water and a snow-frosted rag to hold against her face.

The ritual seemingly complete, Dathani spoke bitterly to her mother the whole while in a native tongue, Ana could not make out any of what she said but could hear the disdain, the disapproval, in every word.

Several hours passed and Ana had fallen into a light sleep at the fireside, the contractions had passed and the pain subsided, her heart rate slowed, temperature steadied.

When her eyes opened next Rhona still sat in her chair watching over her, Dathani had disappeared into the night.

"How do you feel?"

"It doesn't hurt..."

Cautiously, Ana felt her stomach, but she was no medical professional, It all felt the same to her. Suddenly she longed for Jango, the first time she had since that night, to hold her as he had so many times before, his comforting arms were a vivid memory, it was hard to conceive it had only been two standard months since she had been in that embrace.

Rhona explained Dathani's resentment towards her quite plainly, on her great pilgrimage of womanhood she had come to be with child by a Nightbrother, she had told no one but her mother, she would have been exiled from the clan if they had known who had sired her child.

Though she had already trained under the tribal midwife for many years, her teacher had passed into the next life before the birth, her daughter presented breach, no one could turn her, she had no one to save her child.

Rhona had resorted to dark magicks to save Dathani's life when she began to bleed out after the delivery, and in doing so had seen herself exiled to live a life of solitude until the clan mothers decided she had served out her punishment and returned to the light, it had been nine years since that decree had been handed down.

Dathani had been left baron, unable to bear a daughter of her own after the stillbirth, and she blamed the Nightbrother, and in turn, the Nightsisters, for the tragedy that had befallen her.

Her bitterness in aiding a Nightsister was understood and accepted by Ana, she was only grateful, forever in Dathani's debt, for the assistance, albeit unwillingly, given to her.

* * *

Life carried on, on Dathomir, The snows of the cold season eventually gave way to warm sunshine and new life.

Kycian grew taller, stronger, he spoke words that were no longer jumbled, in Basic and Paecian, he seemed to revel in finally being released from the cramped confines of the cabin, into the fresh air, Rhona struggled to keep up with him, Ana, with a swollen belly and frequent bleeding, dared not even try.

All through the winter, her pregnancy had brought with it more complications, but now the most dangerous period had passed by, it felt good to be breathing in the cool morning air and soaking in the sunshine.

"Mama!"

She dropped her chin, readjusting her eyes to the change in luminosity and scanning the forest edge for her son.

"Come Mama, come!" His little voice pitchy and excited and he waved to her.

Ana gathered her skirts and moved across the grassy expanse to find him after he vanished into the undergrowth.

The sound of insects dimmed as she ducked into the first rows of trees, leaving the field behind her, birds chirped and sang as they danced through the canopy so thick with leaves over her head, She could still hear the sounds of the bolma, calling out to their new young as they grazed on the plains she had just left behind.

The terrain grew steeper the further one traversed into the forest, the mountain beginning to climb out from the plains and rivers surrounding her, Ana followed Kycian's loud chatter ahead, as he conversed in a loud and one-sided conversation with Rhona.

She often brought Ky out this far foraging, not wanting Ana to overexert herself Rhona always insisted she stay near the hut, But Ana had lived almost twenty-two years dreaming of this world, she wanted to know the land, feel close to it, hear it breathe and feel the tides of the force flowing with the currents of wind and permeating the dirt under her bare feet.

The longer she spent here, the more Dathomir felt like she had found home at last.

The climb was arduous, she had to pause as she came to the break in the trees where her companions waited, rubbing her belly she caught her breath and straightened herself before stepping out onto the rocky outcropping.

Rhona had hoisted Ky up onto her shoulders so he could see, she pointed to the west to help him find what she had brought him to see.

"This is what you dream of, child."

"How do you know what I dream..."

Her voice trailed as she stepped up beside them, they were not very far up the mountainside but Rhona's home was far above the flats already, far below them, all the way across the plains and just before the marshlands, sat the clear outline of stone ruins, sweeping, crumbled, dark.

"The temple?"

"Aye child, what is left of it, dark place that is."

She couldn't tear her eyes away, it called out to her, her feet threatened to drag her there, for the first time in a long while she felt the tug of the darkness, that seduction begging her to find the power hidden deep within the decay.

She had never seen the object in her dreams, only felt its power, familiar, yet strange, a talisman of some sort she imagined.

"Come, daughter," Rhona tugged at her sleeve to pull her attention away from the ruin "Let's get you indoors, off your feet."

Ana only nodded and let herself be led away.

* * *

The fertile season dragged on, Ana grew rounder, and more often than not fatigued, but nothing could tire her so much as to dull her hunger to be near the temple, often she found herself on the same out-thrust of rock, sitting, gazing down in wonderment, as in some hypnotic daze, she would often come to an awakening unsure of how she had come to be there.

Some days it frightened her, other days she did not care, there was a familiarity to the sensation she felt sitting there alone, reaching out in the force to probe the ghosts of a thousand years past.

She could not walk the distance across the plain, so heavy with child it would be an absurd thought, but she could ride.

She sat by the fire late into the night, long after Rhona had turned in, before buzzing Far to life and calling for him to bring the ship to the far edge of the clearing.

Slipping from the hut into the humid night air, Ana stole across the clearing toward the shuttle and made her way up the boarding ramp.

"Is it primed?"

"Most certainly my Lady."

She swung her leg over the saddle of the speeder bike and flicked the ignition switch, It had been many years since she had ridden one of these, but it would get her to the place where she needed to be.

"Are you sure this is a good idea? You are in no physical condition to-"

The thrusters roared, cutting her droid off mid-sentence as she blasted back down the ramp.

The forest was thick, dark, alive, as the bike thundered through the trees, following the crushed bracken and animal paths where the light of two moons broke through the shelter, following the force when the light failed her eyes.

When the woodland finally broke giving way to the never-ending plains Ana felt freedom, true freedom, for the first time, and she relished every moment.

There was no one behind, no one ahead, no one to stop her no one to dissuade her, no one to control her, just her, the bike the wide grassy expanse ahead.

The temple was much further from the mountain than she had anticipated but the speeder tore over the distance as though it were simply a few meters, In only a mere handful of blinks she was finally there, the place she had dreamed of for so long, the place she had resisted but wanted to be more than anywhere.

Killing the thrusters Ana dismounted as readily as her heavy body would allow her, gazing up at the pillars, same as lined the courtyard in her dreams, reaching high as if daring to try scrape the night sky, the columns had long since lost their ornate capitals which lay crumbling, scattered on the ground at their pedestals.

The roof of the structure had long since wasted away but the walls stood proud, as if they knew their past importance, and refused to wither or die.

The statues had been robbed off their seats and the great stone slab of the grand mausoleum had been stolen away, leaving trenches in the earth where it had dragged, her hands rested a moment on what remained of the ancient tomb, there was such power in this place, dark power, raw, strong.

Yet it was fleeting, and in an instant the force she felt flowing all around her, through her, seemed to slip away, like an ebbing tide it drew her with it to the arch of stone, the entrance, in her dreams she had seen heavy wooden doors hung here, strong and unyielding, but open to her, inviting her in to drink from the wisdom within.

Without a moment's hesitation she took the steps and crossed the threshold into the darkness, igniting a glow rod Ana scanned the great antechamber, nothing but a thousand years of dirt littering the broken tiles of the floor.

She was almost waiting for the spark flies of her imaginations to show up, to guide her where she needed to go, but there were none to be seen,

Shifting through the darkness, room after room, everything was still, everything was quiet, the occasional shuffle of small creatures scuttling out of her path, the wind blowing in off the plains whistling throughout the rooms and finding its way out through missing ceilings, Ana let the force guide her deeper into the complex, a spiralling stone staircase had withstood the ravages of time and she cautiously began to descend, one tentative foot after the other, and still the force pulled her along as though she were an eager animal on a leash.

Just when she thought there was nowhere left to go the Force guided her hand, a firm push on just the right stone, the clicks, screeches and scraping of an ancient mechanism, and the chamber became open to her.

One lone pedestal stood in the centre of the confined space, bookshelves lined the walls, long since emptied, she crossed the room with a deep hunger for the leather bound book laid out on the pedestal, only to find, when she gingerly opened the cover, it was devoid of any text, disgusted she shoved it aside when her eye spotted it, the barely noticeable rise in the spine, a deformity that shouldn't be in something that had been painstakingly crafted with every care,

Pulling a blade from her belt she neatly sliced the inside of the cover until it fell away from the front, the ring shone bright and new under her glow rod, a small roll of parchment tucked inside it.

This is what she was brought here to find, how long had this talisman been waiting for her to seek it out?

Gently she pulled the parchment out and pocketed it to study in better light, before slipping the ring onto a swollen finger.

Her vision went dark, images began to replace the inky blackness, confusing and muddled, faces that she knew, some she did not, Acid rain, refuse as far as the eyes could see, a spider made entirely of metal, hate and anger.

The death of a woman who looked like herself, A man made animal by an all-encompassing green mist, Betrayal that had already transpired, betrayals that were yet to come.

The mantle of Mandalore, not hers but within her grasp, lastly flames, the galaxy on fire, her father laughing amidst the flames and black smoke.

Ana's eyes flew open, she inhaled in a rush as though she had never taken a breath before, oxygen flooding her as she ripped the ring from her hand.

She felt suddenly cold, cold and wet, shifting her weight to pick herself up from the floor it became clear to her, her cloak was heavy with water.

"No, no, no!"

Horrified, she began to struggle to her feet as a contraction forced her down again.

Panic attempted to overwhelm her and Ana took several deep breaths to clear her head, this would be alright, there was plenty of time to leave and get back to Rhona's hut, collecting herself, the glow rod from the floor, attaching the ring next to Maul's kyber on the string around her neck, she tucked both items away inside her collar and made her way back down the passage to the stairs.

Pausing once at the bottom and again at the top to wrestle off the bouts of pain ripping through her abdomen with an unbridled fury, she made her way onwards with a fierce resolve.

The reverse trip was much slower than the original and she felt her lungs heave a sigh of relief when she could again see the light of the moons overhead, stumbling, Ana crossed back over the courtyard, closing her eyes a moment as she took rest leaning on the seat of the bike.

She felt it's presence before she heard it move, before the shadow passed over her, blotting out the moonlight and cutting off her escape.

She was afraid to move, to open her eyes, and when she did she wished she had not, there were no words to describe the beast, It towered over her on short stumpy legs, its huge, ill-proportioned arms hovered in the air above her head ending in long clawed talons poised near motionless.

The Rancor seemed to cock its head to one side, The puckered face of the creature appearing as though it were puzzled by her, tendrils of saliva hung from monstrous teeth, huge nostrils flaring, eyes too small for its head glinted in the pale moonlight, Ana took her moment to reach out and probe it it's mind, gripping it in her fist, using every ounce of strength that she could muster to break the creature, to dominate its will.

But Ana did not have the strength, as another wave of pain came on she could feel her grip begin to loosen, desperately as she tried to hold on it was in vain, she felt the beasts conscious slip out of her fingers and bloom into an incandescent anger.

The Rancor screamed out in frenzied rage as she doubled over her speeder bike, the last thing her eyes saw was it's enraged face as it swung at her, claws flashing, perhaps the text in Rhona's hut had read subdue not control she thought to herself as all before her eyes went black.


	8. Turmoil

She didn't remember the Rancor swiping her sideways into the stone column, the gash it left across the left side of her face, the blood that filled her eyes, nose and mouth, nor did she recall the Mountain clan witches pouring into the remnants of the old courtyard to subdue the beast, she did not remember the trip back to Rhona's home, Dathani scoring a line across her flesh with a sharp scalpel, or Rhona stitching her back together with every due care.

Since waking her time was spent withdrawn from everyone, locked away in her own mind with all her conflicting thoughts battling each other for supremacy, her heart torn into one hundred pieces.

She refused to eat, she couldn't sleep, she could barely bring herself to look upon her son in her melancholy.

The shining silver talisman never left her hands as she sat alone in her bunk, it's gleaming red jewel smooth under her fingertips, her nails traced the scroll-work that the stone was set in, She tried to make some sense of what it had shown her that night, she knew that she must know what it meant, she knew she would ask it again, she felt powerless against it's sway, and no longer afraid of falling to it.

Real was the constant ache in her chest, the dull thudding of her heart, the utter despondency.

Real was the fear that constantly made her run and hide, the pain of loss, Jango's betrayal, the torture of her childhood, and it made her angry.

She had been used, manipulated, abused, the more these words ran through her head her body began to shake, despondency gave way to a white-hot rage, her fist tightened around the token in her palm, her jaw set, teeth clenching together and the dull thudding of her heart became loud and fast in her ears.

She had promised to trust in none but herself now was the time to hold herself accountable to that unspoken vow, to stand on her own feet and to keep her progeny safe.

She could no longer stay with Rhona, the Mountain clan would never let her return to them so long as she harboured a nightsister, they did not care Ana had never met another nightsister, they declared her one by the desires in her heart and her lust for the dark knowledge in the temple.

And so the woman who had become so much like a mother to her, the only mother she had ever known, relented to her, the location of the Nightsister encampment, away across the marshes past the temple, deep in the jungle where the sun shone it's dullest through the mist and clouds.

Rhona touched her cheek, fingers tracing the outline of the fresh scar etched into the upper-edge of her cheekbone, no witch magic could erase the jagged gash.

"Be safe child, I wish you would stay, that I could change your mind."

"I want you to be reunited with your clan, with your daughter," Ana paused and swallowed back tears, her eyes darted about the meadow, avoiding Rhona's concerned gaze, her stomach tightened, anxiety bloomed, a nauseating feeling crept all the way through her flesh and a shudder ran up her spine, she hated herself in this moment. "Keep her close to your heart where all children should be, tell her that I'm sorry."

Rhona only nodded her understanding and kissed Kycian's tiny cheek, hugging them both close to her chest for the longest time, hesitantly letting them go and watching them cross the sloping field to the shuttle.

* * *

Ana set Ferine down on the quaggy surface of the jungle floor, the craft was surrounded by sweeping trees, their large leaves lit red by Dathomirs' bloodied sun, from their boughs hung giant cocoon-like fruits their fragrant sweet smell filling the shuttle even through the filtration system.

She extended the boarding ramp and acknowledged Far with a thank you, unbuckling and gingerly making her way to the sleeping pod, she leaned on the door-jam for support, breathing deeply and calling on the force to dull the pain from her healing belly.

Ana gazed down on the sleeping boy, for all she had lost, she thanked the Force continually that she still had him to hold, gathering him up carefully in her arms, it took all she had not to cry out in pain, Ana disembarked the shuttle entering into the morning mist.

The force was so alive here, she could feel it everywhere, dark, but not so ominous as the presence of her father, so very powerful, yet not uncomfortable.

She breathed in deeply, feeling the sutures in her skin tugging, reminding her they were there.

When she had first arrived on this world she had called it home, but now that she had finally reached her mothers' village, she truly was.

Checking the readouts Far sent to her wrist-pad she made her way toward the life readings displayed on the small screen.

A vibrant green mist began to rise from the swamp on either side of the trail she tracked. It hugged all around her and her son welcoming them, showing them the way.

Out of the fog a tall palisade loomed and as she passed through the gates huts began to appear, simple rope bridges spanned areas of marsh paving the way to small islands in the quagmire where abodes sat, fires burning brightly before their doors various animals moved about in pens beside them, a great stone fortress rose from the mists at the very centre of the settlement to awe her. Sisters surrounded them now, weapons held at the ready, unmoving, awaiting orders from an unseen leader. Their faces stony and littered with tribal markings.

The green ichor swirled hurriedly in front of Ana before the witch materialized out of it before her, she fell to her knees clutching Kycian close to her breast.

"Lost child returned to us." The witch whispered her hands opening expressively. Ana raised her eyes up to the angular and pale face, covered in ceremonial ink. She did not have words for the occasion. "Daughter of Akkhan and a true child of Dathomir stolen from us by the Sith, I sense you have many things to tell me." she beckoned Ana to follow her "Come child." and began towards the temple structure.

"Sit." The elder woman waved her arm in the direction of the crackling hearth and continued "I am Mother Talzin, I have long awaited your return to our fold." Ana settled herself as Kycian stirred in her arms and began to cry. "Ah the child, let me see him," Talzin demanded, reaching out for him and Ana extended the boy to her. He was almost lost in her rich red robes and he fell silent as soon as she looked down on him. "Such ability this child has, he belongs with our nightbrothers where he would learn to become a true warrior." She passed the boy back to his mother "I sense this boy is connected to the nightbrothers by more than just you." She didn't ask, she knew.

"My son is the issue of someone else stolen from you long ago." Talzins gaze did not change "The nightbrother, Maul, is the father of my child." The mother remained silent and composed, her face showed no surprise at this revelation.

"Where is Maul now, does he live?"

"He was taken from me, defeated, at the hands of a Jedi Knight."

"I have foretold that before long Dathomir will be drawn into the coming wars," The Mother changed topic abruptly, "The Sith Lord has already taken enough from our people, he will take no more." Anger and resolve grew in her voice with each word and her fingers clenched, furled into her palms. "Will you join our family and protect us against your father, daughter of Akkhan?" Talzin outstretched her hands to Ana silently requesting her loyalty.

The elation she felt did not expel the anguish she felt over the events of the past few days, the acceptance she was offered did nothing to drive the pain away, the anger still raged like a blazing fire in her belly, Talzins eyes narrowed reiterating her question, without further hesitation Ana reached out with her one free hand and clasped her mothers fingers.

"I will." Came her solemn reply, the coven mother seemed pleased and called out to a cloaked figure outside the door.

"Sister Shaelinn, our clans finest craftswoman," She introduced the young woman who had pulled back her hood revealing a sweet round face, finely pointed chin and exotic almond-shaped eyes in the darkest shade. "Shaelinn, show our new sister her home."

"As you wish Mother." Shaelinn inclined her head to her chest and signalled for Ana to accompany her.

The pair made their way through the winding village paths, Shaelinn pointing out buildings of note, asides from the temple, the heart of their community, there stood behind it a large structure which served as a warehouse, filled to overflowing with stores of food, cloth and furs.

The apothecary stood to the right of the temple structure and was the home of Daka, oldest and wisest of all the sisters, her ageing body and failing eyesight did not hinder her in caring for her sisters in their hour of greatest need,

The smelt glowed in the haze from twenty metres away, this, Shae informed her, was her place in the clan, she was the metallurgist, smelter and blacksmith, all the pikes, spears, sickles and blades Nightsisters wielded were made here by her, every totem and talisman crafted by her hands, with her magicks imbuing them with the ichor of the God and Goddess.

Her workshop was a wonder in itself, the space was the open front before her hut, covered by a leather awning braced up by two rough-hewn wooden walls extending from the sides of her home.

Ana had never seen anything of the like in her life, she came from a world where everything was created by machine, artists such as Shae were few and far between, Tongs and hammers lined the back wall, crucibles of differing sizes for melting metals in the furnace were stacked up at the far end of her workplace, the anvil stood proud, close enough to the furnace so she need not carry hot metal too far, yet far enough that nothing would be in the way of her swing.

"Will you make my weapon?"

"When you choose what weapon you wish to do battle with sister, I will make it whatever way you wish."

Shae removed her hooded cloak and hung it near her doorway, she was near a head shorter than Ana, and not so slender, but her arms were strong, muscles in her shoulders and neck defined, long black hair tumbled down her back in a heavy braid.

"You will stay with me, my hut has been empty since my mother passed on."

"I am sorry to hear that."

"Don't be, it was many moons ago." She ushered Ana into her home and set about stoking the fire to life and hanging a kettle to boil above it. "I don't always get along with all of my sisters, some are young, ungratified, maturity will come with time and experience." She gave Ana a long hard look "But I sense you are different to them, rather than the desire to prove your worth you have the hunger to learn, you already know your quality."

Ana surely knew herself now, who she was, what she wanted and how she could achieve it.

"All I want is to grow, to learn how to better defend myself and my child." Shae poured hot water over dried and pungent leaves, stirred the contents together and handed the tin cup to her.

"There is no one finer than Mother to teach you."

"Everyone life brings our way has the capacity to teach us a lesson." She was careful to not throw the word 'force' around here, she did not know how the sisters would accept it, would it be revilement to them and their magick, or viewed as something entirely separate to their belief system. She herself did not know if they were one and the same or two entirely different talents.

"You are a wise one." Shae set aside her drink and motioned for her to stand "Bring the boy, I will find some clean linen for him." She turned as Ana struggled to her feet, grateful to not have to hide the pain that flashed across her face.

Shae showed the way down the narrow passage leading off from the main room, an old wooden door hung on each opposite wall and another at the end of the hall, Shae pushed open the door to the right. "You will have to share a bed for now."

"That will not be a problem, we are grateful for your welcome."

Shae quickly shook out the woollen mattress and made up the bed so Ana could settle Kycian for the night.

"What is his name?"

"Kycian." no sooner had she uttered it did a fleeting frown cross Shae's forehead, quickly she composed her countenance, but not fast enough

"Beautiful name for a beautiful child."

'You know his namesake?" Shae pulled the door closed

"Talzin did not tell you? She is Kycina, or was before she became our Clan Mother," the other woman gnawed her lip apprehensively "I'm sure she would have told you in time, I should not have said anything." Ana placed a gentle hand on her forearm

"Worry not, this news makes me happy, It ensures my sons' safety, for he is her grandchild" Shae grimaced again, Ana could not tell if she was troubled for herself, having said too much, or she pitied Ana, in her wrongness. She swiftly steered the conversation away as they returned to the living area

"What is your gift sister, what talents do you possess?"

"I see, things past, happening presently, and some things that may come to be, whatever the universe wills me to see."

"May the Winged Goddess and Fanged God open your third eye to even greater wonders."

The pair talked well into the early hours and knew one another far better by the time the red daylight began to creep into the hut through the small panes of glass.

Shae had told her all about life in the clan, what would be expected of her, what she could expect from her sisters, spoke to her about the God and Goddess, rite and ceremony and how they played integral parts of the day to day life in the village.

From harvest ceremonies to the great rite of fertility, which resulted in finding a mate, ultimately leading to the sacrifice of strength, gifting the life of the father to the gods, after a new sister was born.

Ana had shared in return, stories of growing up on Mustafar, seeing the nightbrother she would grow to love, but not knowing him until long after.

The Force, Shae sat riveted as Ana explained the powers the force bestowed her, to the best of her ability.

Life on the Republic capital world, serving as an aide in the Senate, and how she came to be on Dathomir now.

Shae unfurled from her cross-legged position on the fur rug and stretched out her limbs, her dark hair, now loose, full of kinks from being braided, fell messily to her waist.

The small amphora on the table was dry, the silver goblets empty, but their bellies were warm with wine and laughter.

Ana hoped that this friendship would grow, that it would be a true and lasting love, not to be stolen away by pain, death or deception, but perhaps it was too much to ask of the force.

* * *

Days, weeks, months passed by and Ana absorbed every iota of knowledge she could from the Nightsisters until she was full to overflowing, not only with magick spells but more practical knowledge as well.

Shae had taught her how to hunt, skin creatures and prepare their hides, to weave, sew, build shelter, she could climb the highest of trees and hold her own in a fight, the khopesh was her favoured weapon, her blade now imbued with dark magicks rendering it near unbreakable as she trained to disarm with its hook and dispatch with its deadly curving blade.

Talzin had brought out the best in Ana, not only could she see further than ever before, but she could also use her powers to reach out to her sisters, while in a meditative state, a talent she knew from her force studies as battle meditation, urging them on and encouraging them, empowering them in the hunt while confusing their prey. She had never had the opportunity to aid them in a battle, secretly she hoped that she never would.

As she grew in knowledge and mastery so Kycian grew in stature, his hair, product of his diluted zabrak genes being overpowered by human influence, long and shaggy brushed his shoulders and refused to be fastened, he was by no means a tall child nor was he small, he never stopped moving, he was lean and strong. He spoke clearly and eloquently, his mind was sharp as a laser and full of quick quips and wit. By his sixth year of life, the Nightbrothers of his house came for him, She did not want to let him go, It felt unnatural to part with a child so small, the act threatened to break her spirit, but he too needed to learn how to protect himself outside of her mothering arms.

As he held the hand of his blood uncle Feral, the other named Savage, looking on impatiently, Ana removed Maul's kyber from its place near her heart and hung it around her son's neck.

"I will visit as often as I can my love, remember who you are, learn, grow strong, I am proud of you." She pulled him in close, memorizing how he felt in her arms, his scent and the power that coursed in his blood, tears rolled down her cheeks as the males led him away to the speeder, departing on the long trip to the other side of the continent, where the jungle gave way to vast desert plains and mountains of sand.

He would begin training under Tael, a ferocious warrior who trained all nightbrothers, In the hopes he would become the older Zabraks successor, securing a place of safety within the tribe.

The day they were parted was the day she received her tattoos, Shae's skilled hands gifted her the physical manifestation of the emotion she felt, the dark brown embellishment graced her forehead, tapering from her hairline to the bridge of her nose, with fine diamonds and delicate line-work, covering the scar on her right cheek tracing her cheekbone from her temple to her nose, feathering down onto the fleshy part of her cheek, her freckles, matching the ink, covering all the spaces in-between the stain.

Shae held her when she was finished, embracing her from behind, where she sat as she studied her reflection in the polished metal.

"You are truly one of us sister." Her cheek pressed against Ana's in the reflection, her face showing sadness, a sadness Ana recognised in herself.

Despite all their accomplishments, the reverence and respect that came with their positions, neither woman felt as though they had fulfilled any great destiny.

"You and I will never be like them." Her voice was shallow as her hand came to Shae's soft round cheek, in turn, Shae clasped it in her own, "We aspire to be something greater, something more."

"Teach me now, your force, show me how to wield it."

Ana turned her head to face her, foreheads grazing, eyes unmoving, gaze un-breaking, breath escaping her in a slow stream as she agreed.

* * *

When Ana woke the next morning she felt suffocated by her loneliness, rolling over in her covers expecting to see her sons happy face, ready for a new day of work, but her room was empty.

Her face smarted, as though she had spent too much time in the sunshine burning her skin, blood spots marred her pillow where her cheek had rested.

Veeka birds sang in the overhanging tree outside and sisters could already be heard stoking their fires or collecting water from the stream to boil for drinking.

Pushing off her covers she began to dress, she had hung up her cloak long ago, it still adorned the corner of her abode, she dressed like all other sisters now, gone was the drab olive travel suit she had been unable to remove the bloodstains from, gone was the pale blue under-shirt stolen from Jango's closet so long ago for a nightshirt, replaced with crimson weaves and rich brown leathers, she still dressed modestly, body covered, but avoided long skirts that impeded her ability to carry out the simplest of her tasks.

The boots she had worn since leaving Coruscant still served her well through several resoles and patches, they looked dirty and worn but fit more comfortably than ever before.

The thin black under-bodice shirt was quickly covered by the supple leather under-bust bodice, loose crimson breaches fastened around her waist before she began to lace the corset.

She was not unfamiliar with such restrictive clothing, she had worn far more uncomfortable items in the Senate or to the opera, the leather piece was akin to light armour, to protect from tusks and teeth while out hunting.

Pulling the rich red poncho over her head, she then began working her hair into a single thick braid over her shoulder.

As her fingers toiled, her gaze fell on the tapestry above Kycian's now empty bed, depicting the Winged Goddess, claws at the ready amidst swirls of ichor, her very life force, beneath her the Fanged God crouched in wait, Fangs bared, eyes blood red, tattered wings folded against his back.

The fragile balance of drawing strength from the two was comparable to the light and dark sides of the force, but there was no good or evil when it came to magicks, one will do what is necessary to achieve an end, good or bad were nought but intentions, the decisions they all made and the purity or impurity behind them.

Ana had discerned for herself that the Nightsisters were not the abomination the Mountain clan made them out to be, they were sisters, family, together through every joy and hardship, looking after one another, there was nowhere else she would rather be.

Stepping outside into the early light, water pail in hand, she stopped to re-kindle Shae's furnace before heading toward the stream to collect water to boil for drinking for the day.

Life on Dathomir was primitive compared to what she had previously been accustomed to, No droids to be tasked with menial work like laundering or cooking, rather than hate these chores, Ana found a certain solace in them, she had all the time in the universe to think while she washed her furs in the watercourse, or skinned roots for their supper, more so now as she traversed the path to the stream alone, without her son racing ahead of her to splash in the lazy currents.

Lost in her unhappiness she scarcely noticed the sister running uphill toward her,

"Sound the alarm!" The girl Ana recognized as Falthu, barely 14 years old, one of the scouts, came to a stop, panting heavily, dripping water from the stream.

Ana dropped her vessel and turned tail at high speed to the nearest watchtower, deftly pulling herself up the ladder rung by rung, clambering onto the platform she sounded the old bell it's clanging ringing too loudly for her ears, which she promptly covered with her hands, only releasing her hold to keep the bell chiming until she saw more sisters overflowing the narrow trail, all heading in Falthu's direction.

Ana made her way back down from the treetops and joined the rear of the crowd gathered.

Scouts such as Jezetha and Falthu did as their position suggested, scouted not only their own territory for signs of intrusion but also the regions of other clans, their comings and goings, reporting back to the clan elders on all they saw or heard.

"Karis," Ana placed a hand on the younger woman's shoulder, "What happened, was it the Mountain Clan?"

"No, The Spiderclan as best as I can make out, they must have encroached too closely on their caverns for a pack of spider nest-mates to set upon them."

"No closer than we had ever been before sister." Falthu's black eyes were narrow, anger apparent in her voice.

Karis looked as if to retort when Ana hushed her and took Falthu under her arm,

"Come, sister, I'll take you to Mother, are you injured?"

"Jezetha's body-"

"Shush sister, the elders will sort everything out, try not to worry yourself further."

* * *

Ana was often graced with permission to sit in on Mother Talzins affairs, the affection bestowed upon her was not unwelcome, it allowed her to understand Talzin better, the coven better, Ana was not always in agreement with the decisions Talzin made but she respected her all the same.

Talzin had an outward persona of kindness to the sisters, and Ana did not doubt that she loved them, in her own way.

But the Mother could also be cold, calculating and callous, perhaps not all of Maul's personality had been instilled in him through years of torture and rigorous training, possibly a small part of that had simply been who he was, passed down by his blood mother.

Ana watched, a scribe in hand, as Talzin comforted the young sister, assuring her that Jezetha would be avenged, they would not rest until Spiderclan blood was spilt in return.

Inwardly Ana cringed, outwardly she remained stoic, she knew her place and knew the penalty of shame for speaking out of turn, what she did not understand was the infighting among the clans, Talzin had said herself she had foreseen the Nightsisters being drawn into the galactic wars, why waste life in vengeance? Why not make their peace with the Spiderclan who were not all that dissimilar from the Nightsisters themselves? Being as it was that they were a splinter of the Nightsister clan, who had left after some dissent between sisters, _Loyalty could leave one narrow-minded_ _and dogmatic, unyielding to other points of view,_ Ana thought to herself as Falthu left.

"You do not agree that we should seek vengeance Daughter." Talzin did not ask her a question, only stated that which she already knew.

"You know me too well Mother, "She set aside the parchment and scribe, folding her hands in her lap "You are only too aware of how I feel about the infighting among us here on Dathomir, but I am new to your ways and still have much to learn."

Talzin pressed her fingertips together before her lips and for the briefest of moments Ana saw doubt flickering through her silver eyes, _perhaps there is hope,_ just as quickly the doubt was gone, replaced by resolve.

"The Spiderclan has invoked our wrath." She did not speak for the clan, but as a conduit of the God and Goddess, and Ana bowed her head in acknowledgement of this, "They shall repay our spilt blood with their own, may their spiders be upturned in their death throes."

Talzins words hung in the air, they were absolute, final, the Nightsisters would wage war.


End file.
